Dark and Light: The Story of Itachi and Hikari
by Little Minamino
Summary: Before the ANBU there was Genin, before the Akatsuki there was Team Four, and before the Darkness there was Hikari. Every shadow is formed in the Light. ItaHika COMPLETED! SEQUEL UP!-Building a Bridge & Shades of Gray
1. Chapter 1

**Dark and Light:** The story of Itachi and Hikari

* * *

Chapter One

Tears streamed fast and hot from Haruno Hikari's emerald eyes as she sat scrunched under a bush, praying to be free from the ones who had been chasing her for most of the day. She had a dark blue bruise over her left eye and her pale white pigtails were dirty and hanging lip around her tear stained cheeks. A hiccup left her lips and she slapped her hands to her mouth in horror; afraid that the sound had been heard by **him**.

"Hey, ghost girl." A taunting voice floated to Hikari's ears from somewhere above. "Now where'd you go? Don't you want to play some more?"

Involuntarily, Hikari shook her head furiously to show that, no; she didn't want to 'play' anymore. 'Please,' she thought. 'Just leave me alone!'

The branches behind Hikari rustled and she stiffened. "Boo."

Hikari screamed and jumped to her feet; stumbling away a few steps before she crashed heavily to her knees.

"Now I've found you."

Hikari whimpered and flipped around, her wide, fearful, green eyes staring up at the figure in front of her in terror.

"Hey Shishini-kun," He called. "I've got her."

"P-please Y-Yamataro-san," Hikari whimpered. "Please, l-let m-me go ho-me now."

"Now why would I do that?" Yamataro Makoto asked with a sneer. "Now that we're having so much fun together?"

"Yeah," Umikawa Shishini said as he scampered up to stand next to Makoto.

"I don't want to play anymore!" Hikari said as she shakily stood. "I wanna go HOME!"

The fierceness in Hikari's voice almost caused the two bullies to step back in fear. In the whole year that they had been picking on the 'ghost girl' she had never spoken back in more then a shaky whimper and yet here she was yelling at them with more force and conviction then a lot of grown ups that they had ever seen. Not even Kairi-sensei yelled that loud!

Finally getting over his surprise Makoto smirked and stepped closer to the younger girl. Placing his right fist into his left palm he slowly cracked his knuckles. "Now I think that our little ghost girl needs to be taught a lesson in manors don't you Shishini-kun?"

Shishini grinned as he too began to crack his knuckles. "Yeah, Makoto-kun, she does."

Hikari's lower lip began to quiver but instead of backing away she dropped into a general fighting stance. Her right leg was forward and bent at the knee while her left was stretched out strait behind and both of her fists where up near her face.

"Now she's gonna try and fight back!" Makoto laughed. "Let's show her, her place, ne Shishini-kun?"

"Yeah."

Makoto's fist was faster then Hikari could track and she felt it connect hard with her already bruised left cheek. She yelled as she hit the ground and rolled quickly to her stomach, hoping to stand before either bully could make it to her. No such luck. Shishini, who had been waiting for her to hit the ground, pulled back his left leg and kicked her hard in the stomach causing saliva and small droplets of blood to darken the ground beneath the gasping Haruno girl. Makoto laughed as he moved around to stand in front of her. Reaching down he grabbed a handful of Hikari's now loose white hair and drug her up to face him.

"Now are you having fun yet?"

Hikari said nothing, instead she kept her eyes tightly closed and refused to grace Makoto with even a flinch as his breath fanned her face.

"Do you always get your superiority fix by beating on defenseless girls?"

Makoto started at the unexpected voice so badly that he dropped the bleeding Hikari to the ground once more. Hikari cried out in surprise and pain but otherwise remained completely silent.

"Now who are you?" Makoto demanded.

"No one insignificant enough to be remembered by a moron like you."

"Now what was that!"

"Yeah!"

The new comer said nothing as he moved to where Hikari lay curled up on the ground. Carelessly he dropped into a crouch next to her and nudged her gently with the back of his fist. "You alive?"

Hikari whimpered and slowly rose onto her arms so that she could look up at her savior. "W-who…?"

"Now you leave her alone!" Makoto shouted. "Go find your own ghost girl."

"I don't believe that she belongs to you."

"Now, what would you know!"

"Yeah!"

"I know enough that you can't have her."

"Now why is that?" Makoto said.

"Yeah?"

"…."

"You wanna fight!" Makoto said as he dropped into a stance. "I'll take you on!"

"Yeah!" Shishini cheered from behind Makoto.

The boy stood and brushed off his pants before he stepped over Hikari's body and stood with his feet apart and his hands behind his back.

"N-no!" Hikari said as she grabbed his pants at the boy's ankle. "D-don't fight him! H-he's to strong! You'll get h-hurt too!"

"….Hn."

Makoto ignored Hikari and launched himself at his younger enemy. "Now you're gonna regret messing with me!"

"No!"

No one was really sure what had happened. One minute Makoto was flying at his opponent at top speed and the next he was skidding on his back four feet away from where he had originally begun. Hikari stared wide eyed as she tried to comprehend what she had just seen. Somehow, without moving any other part of his body, the boy in front of her had managed to knock Makoto eight feet away with only the back of his fist.

"H-how did you-." Hikari began only to be cut off by Shishini's cry of shock.

"What the hell did you do to Makoto-kun!"

The other boy raised an eye brow. "So your vocabulary isn't limited to a one word response to everything."

"…..Huh?"

The boy didn't respond as he turned and bent down to help Hikari to her feet. The white haired girl flinched as he grasped her bruised forearms just a bit too tightly.

"Gomen." He said before he turned around and pulled her carefully onto his back. "…Where do you live?"

"A-ano…" Hikari stuttered as she began to point to the left.

"N-now you had better put her down!" Makoto shouted as he climbed to his feet. "Only I'm aloud to touch her!"

The boy shot a paralyzing glare at Makoto over his shoulder. "You had better never touch her again." He said before he began to walk in the direction Hikari had pointed out.

"Now this isn't over!" Makoto shouted. "You just got lucky! Next time I'll kill you!"

"Yeah!"

XXXXXXXXXX

The walk to Hikari's house was silent and awkward only occasionally broken when Hikari pointed out a new direction. Finally they stopped on Hikari's porch and the boy let her gently down onto the front step. They were both silent for a moment before Hikari spoke up.

"T-thank-you," she said. "For, for helping me…um…?"

"Itachi," He said as he turned away and shoved his hands into his pockets.

"Itachi," Hikari said with a smile. "Well, thank-you Itachi."

"I only did it because my mother always told me to protect the weak and pathetic."

For a moment Hikari blinked until Itachi's meaning had sunk in. "Y-you jerk!" She brought her hand around to smack him sharply in the back of the head. "See if I show you anymore graditude!"

Itachi's eyes were wide in surprise as he rubbed his smarting head and glanced back at Hikari as she roughly pushed open her door and limped inside. He scowled and turned away, once again shoving his hands into his pockets.

"See if I ever help you again," He muttered.

The door was only a fraction away from closing when Hikari's bright green eye appeared in the gap to watch her hero walk away. A bright crimson blush stained her cheeks and she smiled.

"Itachi…" She whispered before the door finally closed all of the way separating the two six-year-olds from each other's view.

End Chapter One

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Kaliea: Well here is the first chapter of my ItaHika story. I hope you all enjoyed it! Let me know if you did (coughreveiwcough). Oh, and just to let you know, until I get 'Holding out for a Hero' finished the updates for this will be really, really, really slow. Just a heads up! Till next time, ja ne! 


	2. Chapter 2

**Dark and Light:** The Story of Itachi and Hikari

Chapter Two

The next few weeks where surprisingly uneventful for Hikari and for once she found herself at a loss as to what to do with her days. Not that she enjoyed being beat on by Makoto but running from him certainly made her days full, even if they did go really slowly.

Finally she came to the decision that she wanted to be able to protect herself from Makoto so that she wouldn't have to worry about being saved by that jerk Itachi anymore. Unfortunately there was only one person in her family that was a ninja and he was one of the very best so he was almost always gone, but she vowed to find a way. As fortune would have it, two days after her decision he had the day of and she got her chance to confront him.

"Ne Kyo-nii-chan?" Hikari said as she walked over to where her cousin was resting next to the pond in the Haruno estate's main garden. "Will you teach me how to be a ninja?"

Kyo looked over at Hikari in surprise and sat up into a butterfly position. "Why the sudden interest?"

"I want to be able to protect myself from Makoto."

"Who's Makoto?"

Hikari's eyes widened and she slapped her hand to her mouth. She had forgotten that she didn't want anyone to know. Especially not Kyo, he had enough things to keep him busy as a ninja, he didn't need her problems adding to his conscience.

"J-just a boy I know," Hikari said as offhandedly as she could. "He likes to pull my hair and stuff. You know, dumb boy things."

Kyo grinned. "Sounds like he may have a crush on you."

Hikari stared at her cousin in horror.

"I suppose that I could teach you a few things just so long as you promise me that you won't abuse them to hurt other kids."

Hikari nodded furiously. "I promise! I really, really do!"

"Alright," Kyo said as he stood. "Why don't you go change into something more practical and I'll meet you out here in about fifteen minutes."

"Okay!" Hikari said as she jumped up and down in excitement. "I'll go super fast so you don't gotta wait! I promise!"

Before Kyo could answer her Hikari had taken off at a dead sprint and disappeared into the house.

When Hikari reached her room she ran strait for her drawers and pulled them open. Outfit after out fit hit the floor but unfortunately she couldn't seem to find anything befitting of a ninja. She was just about to give up when she spotted something that just might work if she chose the right thing to go with it.

Fifteen minutes later found Hikari back in the garden waiting for her older cousin to enter into the scene. When Kyo arrived he gave his cousin a quick glance and nodded at her choice of apparel. Since she didn't have any ninja clothes her outfit was far from standard but in terms of comfort and mobility it fit the mold perfectly. She had chosen a pair of white cotton shorts that where far to short to be worn on their own, barely coming down to the top of her mid-thigh and over it she had an emerald green pleated skirt that fell to just above her knee. Her shirt was a regular white tee with green trim on the collar and sleeves and on her feet was a pair of old white trainers that looked ready for the trash heap.

"That'll do for now, but if you want to be trained seriously you'll have to get something else to where for when you do more advanced things."

Hikari nodded in acceptance, her face firm in her decision. "I'll go to the store with Kairi-nee-chan after I get my next allowance."

Kyo nodded. "Alright. Now first off I want to get up your strength. Since you're a girl and still pretty young you should still be pretty limber but we're gonna work on it all the same so that you don't ever loose you flexibility. Everyday for the next month I want you to do this training schedule right here." He handed her a piece of paper with blue ink scrawled on it like a check list. "Once you've completed that we'll move on to something more. Also, by that time I should have more time to train you since my vacation time starts in the summer."

"Nii-chan," Hikari said as she read over the list. "If I get good enough do you think I could enter the ninja academy next fall instead of going back to the institution?"

Kyo paused for a moment. "Yeah, I suppose you could. You'd probably have to go in with the beginner class though."

"Isn't there any way I could go in with the kids my own age?" Hikari asked, a vision of a dark haired boy with an attitude flashing quickly through her mind.

"The entrance exam is pretty hard as it is and testing into the next level has only ever been done twice but…" Kyo paused in thought. "If you work really hard and study the first year curriculum really well then I don't see why you wouldn't be able to move up."

Hikari's eyes lit up with excitement and she bounced around the garden happily, clutching her training schedule to her chest as she celebrated.

"But it will be pretty hard," Kyo warned. "You only have four months to learn what the other kids have a whole year to study."

"I can do it nii-chan!" Hikari said. "I'll be the top of the class too! No one will be better then me because I want it more!"

Kyo chuckled and patted her hair. "That a girl. Now let's get started, the faster you learn this routine the faster you can advance."

XXXXXXXXXXX

"I've never seen her so dedicated to something before," Haruno Nolani said as she watched her panting daughter train with her nephew in the garden. "I expected her to loose interest within the first few weeks but she's already been at it for three months." She smiled up at her husband. "What do you think Takeru?"

Haruno Takeru's mouth was pressed into a firm line and his emotionless eyes stared almost through his daughter and nephew.

"Husband?" Nolani gently nudged Takeru causing him to jolt back to reality.

"I'm sorry Nolani," Takeru said. "What was it you were speaking of?"

"I asked you what you thought of our daughter's new found determination." Nolani said with a grin.

"Well it is nice to know that she isn't as dense as she lets on," Takeru said. "I was beginning to worry that her grades from the Institution truly reflected her intelligence."

Nolani laughed and wrapped her arms around Takeru's forearm while she leaned her head on his shoulder. "You don't really mean that and I know it."

Takeru smiled down at her. "You are right of course; I have always known that she was intelligent." He frowned. "Unfortunately she is intelligent in the same way Kyo is, and it seems she is now going to pursue the same path he is."

Nolani's right hand grasped Takeru's sleeve tightly and she looked up at him in worry. "Do you think that they will...?"

"I don't know," Takeru said as he patted her smaller hand. "But if they do then it will be because they are the ones destined to do it."

"But Takeru! They could draw the attention of-." Her husband's finger gently pressed against her lips, cutting her off.

"I understand your fear love, but we have been hiding this for a long time," He shook his head. "Twelve generations is far too long I'm afraid."

"But-." Once again Nolani was cut off, but this time it was because of the cry of an infant. She sighed. "Looks like Sakura-chan is awake." She went up on her tip toes and kissed her husband on the cheek. "We'll continue this conversation later."

Once Nolani had left to tend to their youngest daughter, Takeru turned back to face the oldest. "I have faith in you Hikari-chan; I know that you could handle it. I just hope that you don't have too."

XXXXXXXXXXX

The day of the Konoha Ninja Academy's entrance exams Hikari stood with the other students that were enrolling. Some were older then her but most of them were six or seven like her. The rooms where the written tests would take place were on the other side of the doors that they were standing in front of but before they could go in they had to be instructed by the junior teacher of the class that they were testing into. The junior teacher of the beginner class exited the first door and she smiled encouragingly at the kids.

"Ohayo mina-san," She said. "My name is Hirozaki Kairi and I will be the officiate for the written part of your entrance exam. Once the written half is concluded you will have the physical test outside on the training field." Kairi moved away from the doorway to allow her class to file in. "If you all will choose a seat I will be in, in just a moment to start the exam."

All of the kids in the hallway filed into the classroom one-by-one until only Hikari was left. She fidgeted awkwardly and stared at her feet, unsure of what it was she should do.

"Ohayo, Hikari-chan," Kairi said as she knelt next to the younger girl. "Are you ready for you're exam?"

Hikari glanced up at the older girl and nodded. "I-I'm a bit scared though. What if I'm not good enough?"

Kairi grinned and ruffled Hikari's white hair. "Don't worry kid, you'll be great. Just remember to keep a cool head and stay calm. You know this stuff, so don't worry. We've gone over it to many times for you to be unsure."

Hikari nodded. "You're right. Thank-you, Kairi-nee-chan."

"Of course Hikari-chan," Kairi said as she stood and brushed off her skirt. "Now as much as I would love to stay and help you a bit longer I have to go and give out a test."

"Go ahead Kairi-nee-chan," Hikari said with a grin. "I'll be okay."

Kairi smiled. "Of course you will."

Despite herself Hikari couldn't help but swallow nervously as Kairi disappeared behind her classroom door leaving her all alone in the suddenly intimidating hallway. It seemed as though hours had passed, though it had probably been no more then five minutes, when a second door finally opened and another junior teacher walked out. He was tall for his young age of fifteen, almost six feet, and his blond hair was short, only about an inch in length. His eyes were black as night but they held a gentle light to them that made Hikari instantly relax. He wasn't her enemy. If anything he wanted to become her friend.

"Ohayo," The boy said. "You must be Haruno Hikari-chan."

"H-hai." Hikari answered with a shy blush.

"Well my name is Ichikawa Keiji. I am going to be the one testing you today." Keiji grinned apologetically. "Normally Hitsugo Arashi-sensei would be the one overseeing the physical half of the exam but he had an important mission in the Rain Country and he won't be back until next week."

"That's okay," Hikari said. "I don't mind at all."

"Okay then," Keiji said as he held out his hand. "Let's get started."

Hikari took his hand and nodded. 'Yes,' she thought. 'Let's get started.'

XXXXXXXXXX

The test was far more difficult then Hikari had thought it would be. Despite all of the math and science she had learned at the Konoha Institute of Learning she still found the strategy equations for the basics of combat hard to draw up. Even after having studied the diagrams and formulas the entire summer the answers still came slowly and insecurely.

The memorization section was no better for her then the tactics section. There were over 100 shinobi sayings that each student was supposed to have memorized by the end of their first year. Hikari had only memorized fourteen and they were strait from 1-14. Fortunately, while the questions that asked for the sayings came in a random order, seven of the fifteen questions were ones that she new.

One hour after Hikari began the test she set down her pencil and pushed her paper aside, showing that she had finished all thirty questions she had been asked. She wasn't sure how she had done but she had a feeling it was a rather poor job. Hopefully her practical score would counter balance her written one.

"All done Hikari-chan?" Keiji asked with a grin.

"Hai, Keiji-sensei," Hikari answered. "Where do I go now?"

"Well, now we will head out to the practice field behind the Academy. That's where you will be taking the practical half of the exam."

Hikari nodded firmly. This was the part she was really ready for.

XXXXXXXXXXX

"Hey did you hear? There is a beginner student testing into a higher class for the first time in ten years."

"Are you for real? Who is it?"

"I don't know but do you think whoever it is, is as great as Kakashi was when he came in all that time ago?"

"I heard it's a girl."

"Yeah. She's kinda pretty too."

"You've seen her? What's she look like?"

"She's got white hair and green eyes."

"White hair? What kind of weirdo has white hair?"

Three figures watched the group of gossipers as they moved further down the street. Two of them were around eleven while the third looked no older then seven or eight.

"Now you don't think it's my ghost girl, do you Shishini-kun?"

"It could be Makoto-kun."

"I think we should go look don't you, Shishini-kun?"

"Yeah."

The dark onyx eyes of the third figure went unnoticed as they followed the two bullies trek to the Nin Academy. Slowly Itachi emerged from the shadows a strangely curious look on his face. He paused for a moment before he shrugged and followed. After all, it wouldn't hurt to just see right?

XXXXXXXXXXX

Hikari finally fully appreciated all of the time her cousin had made her put into learning the three beginner katas as she finished the final one with complete perfection. Each step flowed from her body as she fell into the relaxing comfort of the moves her muscles had memorized many weeks ago.

Keiji was very impressed. He had never seen such fluidness and grace in someone so young. Most have to spend three or four years in the academy before they can reach the level of serenity that this girl seemed to naturally have. Her shuriken techniques were average but still rather good for someone who had never even touched a weapon until two months ago. Her chakra control was very good and she seemed rather proficient in the basics of molding it. All in all he found himself quite pleased to be able to give her top marks.

Hikari was still in the tranquility of her taijutsu when she felt it; just a little shimmer in the back of her mind. She didn't know what it was and she closed her eyes tight as she tried to delve deeper into her mind to find out what it was. A presence? Yes. A painful presence? Painful to whom? To her? Yes, painful to her, but who…? Her eyes flew open.

"Yamataro!" Hikari shouted in fear. Her eyes darted to her right where she felt not only Makoto but also his cousin Shishini. "W-what do you want?"

Keiji stared at the girl in surprise. She had suddenly gone very still, her face scrunched up as if concentrating and then she shouted out at someone. Who it was Hikari was yelling at he had no idea; no one was here but them.

"Well, well," A nasally voice said from behind a tree. "You seem to have gotten better since we last met, ne ghost girl."

"I'm taking an exam Yamataro! Leave me alone!"

Keiji nodded slightly in understanding as he saw who it was that came into view. Yamataro Makoto came from a clan that specialized in covering their auras. His cousin, Umikawa Shishini, was the son of Umikawa Keiko, Makoto's father's twin sister, so he also had the ability to pull in his aura. What surprised Keiji the most was that Hikari was able to find the two boys even thought they were shielding themselves.

"Now you know that you can't pass," Makoto said with a scowl. "You'll never be good enough. You'll just have to deal with being carried off by that dark haired looser all the time. If he even shows his scaredy-cat face anymore."

"If you're talking about Itachi-kun, he's right behind you."

Makoto and Shishini spun around fiercely their eyes wide as they spotted the young Uchiha leaning against a tree outside of the practice field.

"What are you doing here you freak!" Makoto demanded.

Itachi said nothing, his dark eyes never straying from Hikari's frightened frame.

Keiji scowled at Makoto and walked over to rap him on the head. "I don't know who you think you are but you are interrupting an official examination. If you continue to be a disturbance it could result in your being held back a year."

"You can't do that!" Makoto said. "My father is-."

"I know that your father is the headmaster but I assure you that he will give you no special treatment. You of all people should be well aware that he expelled your brother two years ago."

Makoto scowled and turned away. "Come on Shishini-kun. We'll talk to the ghost girl later."

Hikari stared down at the ground, tears burning her emerald eyes. 'I won't cry,' She told herself angrily. 'Real ninjas don't cry. If I cry then I'll prove him right and I know that he's wrong.'

"Don't listen to him Hikari," Keiji said as he set his hand on her soft white hair. "You have more then what it takes."

Hikari's head shot up, her tears still brimming in her eyes. "Wh-what?"

"Congratulations," Keiji grinned. "You pass."

End Chapter Two

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Kaliea: Here's chapter two. I know I said that the updates will be slow, and they will be, but I really wanted to get this one done. So anywho, drop me a review and tell me what you think!

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Review Answers:

Susa-chan: I'm glad you like it! Thanks for the review!

Tears like Crystals: I hope you keep loving it! ;)

Kellyvan5543: I hope that this is soon enough.

Danny-171984: Oh they will be described in a lot more detail in the next chapter (or the one after, I'm not really sure at the moment). I'm glad you said something though, I really do value your opinion.

Dragon Man 180: It will take him a while but he'll get it…eventually.

Tennisdesi91: Will do!

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Kaliea: Thanks to all of my reviewers! I really appreciate you all! Till next time, ja ne! 


	3. Chapter 3

**Dark and Light:** The story of Itachi and Hikari

* * *

Chapter Three

Hikari's chin lay in her palms as she starred blankly at the front board. Arashi-sensei was teaching but she didn't really get what he was saying; something about wind resistance and shurinken. Lot's of equations really, and she didn't understand equations at all. She had tried and even had the best tutors when she was in the Institute but it just didn't click in her mind. Instead it only made her angry and gave her a huge head-ache. In short, to save herself some frustration and aspirin, she decided the best way to get through class was to ignore the teacher and stare at random objects vacantly.

Unconsciously her eyes wandered to the seat right in front of her. There sat the genius, the prodigy, the school heart-throb…

"Quit staring at me you ditz."

…The biggest, most egotistical, seven-year-old to ever be born into the world: Uchiha Itachi.

A vein above Hikari's eye twitched. Ever since she first started here at the Ninja Academy three weeks ago he was nothing but rude to her. Every time she turned around he was there to glare at her and cut her with an arrogant comment.

Tearing her eyes away from his dark figure, Hikari gritted her teeth in anger. He was such a jerk! A show-off! An arrogant brat! And…

Her eyes shifted to his figure again; she sighed in defeat.

And totally gorgeous. Of course Hikari wasn't the only one who thought so. Just about every girl from four to twelve had their eye on the Uchiha heir; Hikari just happened to be a much better actor then all of the others.

Yes, to her complete and utter disgust, she had fallen head over heels for the dark haired boy the very moment he had come to her rescue.

(Why does he have to be such a jerk!) Inner Hikari raged.

Hikari sighed and once again rested her head in her hands. 'I wouldn't mind liking him if he didn't act like the world revolved around his ability to throw a kunai.'

(Lives! But not the world! Hell no!)

'……'

Her ever sharpening reflexes allowed Hikari just enough time to dodge the cotton chalk board eraser that was aimed at her head. Her eyes were wide in surprise as her gaze shot to the culprit.

"You're getting better and better everyday Hikari," Arashi-sensei said in a dull voice. "Perhaps I have been teaching you something these last few weeks after all."

Hikari stood and hung her head, her cheeks burning in embarrassment. "I apologies, Sensei."

Arashi sighed. "I'm sure you are Hikari but you will still need to stand in the hall and since this is your fourth offence you will need to stay after class."

Hikari bit her lip as the snickers of her classmates filled her ears. She already knew that they didn't like her and an instance such as this would only give more cause to their teasing.

"Hai, Sensei," Hikari said as she stood from her desk and moved to the aisle and began to descend the stairs. Not wanting to let the others know that she was upset Hikari held her head high as she walked down the stairs, unfortunately she miscalculated how many steps there where and she missed the last one only to come crashing clumsily onto her face. Unable to control themselves, the class broke out into harsh laughter.

Tears filled Hikari's emerald eyes and she hastily stood and made a clumsy bow to the teacher, which only increases the laughter behind her, before she almost ran from the classroom, into the hallway, and out the academy's doors.

Once Hikari was out the door she headed strait to the restricted area of the P.F.T grounds, the acrobatics course. It consisted of many bars, boxes, beams, and other obstacles that the students had to use to cross the many traps that laced the ground and space around them. Many sixth year students still had problems running this course. It was long, dangerous, and it taxed all of your senses to the max; this was the type of thing that would make or brake your life as a field nin.

Hikari knew that she wasn't allowed in there but that didn't stop her; she was going to make it through the whole course starting from the very beginning and not stopping until she got to the end. She would show everyone that she really did belong here and that her father had nothing to do with her acceptance. Hikari would prove to them all that she was a real ninja, not just some spoilt little rich girl.

The course began easy enough and she practiced her skills with Kyo enough times that Hikari was very sure of her ability. She leaped, dodged, and slid around every trap or obstacle that came her way. Soon though, Hikari came to an area where the course began to get rougher. However, instead of giving up and leaving it for another day, she continued on; pushing herself in ways she had never thought possible.

'Stay clam,' Hikari thought. 'Reach out and 'feel' the obstacles around you. Concentrate.'

Closing her eyes Hikari reached deep into herself and pulled out everything she could to sharpen her senses. In her mind a plain began to sketch itself out relaying to her body where the traps where located.

'Wire: jump. Sword: dodge left. Kunai: drop to the ground and roll right. Don't stop! Jump up and keep going!'

Up, down, over, under, and around Hikari flew, dodging everything that came her way. Faster and faster she went until all of a sudden, she finished. The ending was so abrupt that Hikari almost kept going from the sheer momentum of the depth of her concentration. She looked around herself to clarify as to whether or not she really did finish the course. True enough there she stood in the very middle next to the large Konoha flag pole.

"I-I did it!" Hikari laughed in surprise. "Only Kakashi-san ever finished the course this fast!" Her euphoria died quickly as a sharp pain laced through her upper left arm causing her to yelp. Spinning around to see what it was that hit her Hikari found a kunai embedded in what seemed to be thin air. Confused she walked over to it and reached out with her left hand as she covered her bloody injury with her right.

"A wall? But I didn't come through a wall…did I?"

"A one-way wall. A very clever invention used as traps by Konoha nins."

Hikari cried out and ripped the kunai from the wall before spinning around and launching it in the direction of the unexpected voice. Losing her footing Hikari fell to the ground hard. Not wanting to let this potential enemy see her weakness she turned it into a backward roll so that she could come up in a ready crouch.

"Who are you?" Hikari demanded as harshly as she could.

"I think that the real question should be: who are you? I am not the one that noisily disturbed your sleep am I?"

"I don't understand."

"You didn't honestly think that those traps where all that there was to this test did you? Why do you think that you are always told not to enter without a team? Because for your final test you must face me."

"Where are you? Why can't I see you?"

A sudden figure materialized out of the air and Hikari started. He had dark brown skin that seemed to be glossy and overly greasy black hair that lay matted against his head. His eyes were black and emotionless and his face seemed to be almost frozen into a sneer.

"Y-you're a-!"

"Puppet nin," he answered. "The second most advanced that Konoha owns. My name is Katsuya but you don't need to remember it because you won't be around for much longer."

Hikari's eyes widened as Katsuya disappeared only to scream as another kunai ripped painfully through her young flesh.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Practical field training, or P.F.T., was enjoyed by all of the year groups at the Academy as the best time of the day. There where so many things that the different years could practice. There was a kunai range where students could improve their aim with weapons as well as a sparing ring and the 'hide and seek' area where students could improve their stealth, but the area that most academy nins loved to hate was the obstacle course. It was filled with so many traps and advanced acrobatic equipment that only the best even dared to enter and no one under the fifth year was even allowed with in six meters of it.

When the bell rang for second year P.F.T. all of the students eagerly raced from the classroom, except one. Itachi never rushed anywhere. Instead he casually shoved his hands in his pockets and calmly made his way out of the classroom into the hall before heading outside onto the P.F.T. grounds. He had barely made it out the door, however, when a pain-filled scream echoed through the training grounds and reached his sensitive ears.

A wave of confusion swept through the students. No one had ever been hurt during P.F.T. before. At least not that quickly, and the only place that would be dangerous enough to cause someone to scream in such a way was the Acrobatics Course, but no one was in there; it was against the rules.

Itachi's eyes narrowed as he realized who hadn't been in the eager race outside. "Stupid girl…"

XXXXXXXXXXX

Red was all Hikari could see as she clenched her eyes closed tight. The red of the sun that burned through her eye lids, the red of the eyes of the puppet she couldn't see, and the red of the blood she felt sliding down her skin. Red. She hated that color. Everything about it filled her with a queasy disgust.

Red, red, red. The color of the pain she was feeling; pain she just wanted to stop. Tears leaked through her closed eyes as she fought the despair she was feeling. This pain. This tearing red pain. She just wanted it to end…

A sudden clang sounded in what Hikari had decided would be her tomb and the feel of a hand on the back of her shirt brought her back into reality as she was lifted roughly to her feet.

"You're annoying."

"Wha-?" Hikari asked as she wiped blood from her blurry vision. "I-Itachi?"

"Don't just stand there! Help us out! I reeaally don't want to die here!"

Hikari stared up at the other boy in surprise. "Who-?"

"Yotaro! Now **do** something will ya!"

Confused Hikari stood back to back with the two boys as the puppet nin began to circle them at an almost invisible speed. The three grew slightly dizzy as their young eyes did their best to keep up with their opponent's unfathomable speed.

"What do we do?" Hikari said shakily.

"We're gonna have to try and slow him down some how. We can't beat what we can't catch." Yotaro said.

Itachi's dark eyes were narrowed in a glare as he did his best to see through the puppet nins attack, as well as doing his best to avoid the worst of the hits aimed at him. Suddenly his eyes widened and he smirked. "It's an allusion."

"What?" Both of his companions said as they pressed closer together as their attacker's circles grew tighter, it's kunai cutting violently at their skin and clothes.

"It's not really moving that fast; it's using a genjutsu."

"So how do we break it?" Yotaro demanded as he missed blocking a slice above his left eye.

"We'll have to find its body."

"But how do we do that?" Hikari said as she jerked away from the blade attempting to catch her in the side.

"Think," Itachi said with a scowl. "Use that brain you probably don't have."

"We aren't exactly in a position for you to be insulting me Itachi-baka!"

"Who's insulting who, now!"

"Duck!" Yotaro told the two as he pulled out a scroll and slid his bloody thumb across the paper.

Hikari and Itachi didn't even think twice before dropping to the ground. They covered their heads just as chains flew in every direction forming a web; the puppet nin caught loosely in the middle.

"Hey! I can only hold this for so long!"

Without wasting time both kids leaped through the chain web. Itachi quickly formed the hand seals for a fire jutsu as Hikari, using Itachi's shoulders for momentum, vaulted into the air.

"Katon: Goukakyuu no jutsu!" A large fire ball erupted from Itachi's mouth engulfing the puppet nin in flames. The fire went out just as Hikari flipped through the air and landed a harsh spin kick on the puppet's skull. The wooden head went flying past the obstacle course as the invisible wall fell with the imitation nin. Hikari landed nimbly beside Itachi and Yotaro as the latter boy recalled his nin scroll and slid the object into the pouch at his side.

The three kids let out heavy sighs of relief while glancing at each other. Hikari smiled, Yotaro shrugged, and Itachi scowled before they all sunk to the burnt and bloody ground and fell fast asleep sitting back to back.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

"They what!" a vicious voice echoed through the academy's halls. "Why where they there? And Hikari especially! She only just entered the academy!"

"Calm down Kyo-."

"Don't tell me to calm down Kairi, my cousin almost got killed!"

"She didn't even come close!"

"Why wasn't anyone on the P.F.T. fields! There is always supposed to be an instructor out there!"

Kairi glared angrily as she stomped her foot heavily on the linoleum floor. "There is a shortage of instructors! Don't blame this on us!"

"Don't blame it on you? Don't blame it on you?" Kyo threw his arms open wide as he looked around in a mock search. "Then who should I blame it on? The walls?"

"If you had any sense of priority then you would have taken that instructor job that Katsukigi-sama offered you! Then we wouldn't be so short staffed!"

"And what would that have accomplished, huh? There are dozens of nins that turn down those jobs, why would my accepting make the staff suddenly so full?"

Kairi growled as she jabbed her pointer finger into Kyo's chest. "Because the ninja here look up to you! Even Kakashi-san admires your abilities! If you had taken the job then there would be even more ninja willing to accept!"

"Don't blame this on me because I don't feel like becoming a baby-sitter!" Kyo said as he grabbed Kairi's hand tightly. "You have no right to stop from being whatever ninja I choose! Forgive me for not wanting to throw my life away by being a chuunin instructor my whole life! I'm made for bigger and better things!"

Kairi's eyes widened and she stepped back as if she had been slapped. "Bigger and better?" She slowly began to move away from her ex-teammate. "So my choosing to remain a chuunin instructor is suddenly below anything that you will possibly accomplish?"

Kyo flinched. "That's not what I meant."

"But that's what you said."

"It didn't come out right."

"But it's what you feel."

Kyo sighed and his grip on Kairi's hand loosened just enough so that the circulation could return. "I'm sorry," he said as he ran a hand through his sapphire blue locks. "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings and of course I respect your decision to become a teacher. I just meant that, while it may be the right choice for you, I want to do something different."

Kairi raised an eye brow. "Something more dangerous and stupid you mean."

Kyo shrugged. "Same difference."

Kairi sighed as well. "I'm sorry too. I know that you were just worried about the kids, Hikari most especially. And I promise that from now on I won't let them do anything stupid like this again."

Kyo nodded his thanks before his gaze drifted off thoughtfully. His eyes narrowed in thought and he tilted his head ever-so slightly to the left before returning his emerald eyes to his friend. "That was rather impressive though. There has only ever been one other kid that young to finish the course and he had two fifth years with him…"

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that I think these three need the same kind of attention that Kakashi-san received when he was at the academy."

Kairi's eyes widened. "What? Didn't I just tell you that we were short staffed?"

Kyo didn't respond for a moment as he stared blankly at the academy's clinic door. "Perhaps it wouldn't hurt if I were to take on a temporary position after all…"

* * *

End Chapter Three

* * *

Kaliea: So what do you all think? Be honest! Talk to ya'll in about a month, I'm in Utah and my internet access is, sadly, extremely limited. Ja for now!

Review Answers:

scythe195: Thank-you, Hikari is one of my best developed characters. I really enjoy writing her.

phiawen: I wanna know what happens next too! I never know until I write it really...

Tears Like Crystals: I'm glad! Keep reading!

kakashi-chan: Here's the next chapter!

BloodRuby: I hope you keep enjoying it because I'm loving writing it!

YamiKitsuneKami: Thanks! I'll update as fast as I can. Promise.

Susa-chan: Heh, heh, I tried to make Hikari-chan a character you couldn't help but love...did it work?

sharingan-x-blossom: Thank-you!

Suki dah Turdle: I'll do my best!

sweetmaiden: Yes it does. And there will be more pain where that came from too!

Dragon Man 180: The bullies will get theirs soon, as for Hikari, of course she passed! How else is she supposed to get closer to Itachi?

tennisdesi91: I hope my post was fast enough cause it will be a long while until the next one I think...

Danny-171984: Don't worry, I won't forget the other story! And I'm glad you like Hikari, personally I think the fact that she is willing to struggle is what makes her such an interesting character. I hope you review soon, I love hearing from you!

kellyvan5543: Soon, she'll get to beat up Makoto soon. Honest.

* * *

Kaliea: Thanks so much to my reviewers! I love you all! Keep reviewing and I'll keep writing! Ja ne! 


	4. Chapter 4

**Dark and Light:** The story of Itachi and Hikari

* * *

Chapter Four

Itachi was always the best and he knew it. It wasn't conceit, it was a fact. He was simply better then everyone else. No one else was even close to being in the same class. He was one of a kind; no one could compare…

…So why was he suddenly being placed in a team that was 'on the same level' as he was? Irritation is all that he felt as he sat in the classroom after school with the two 'class dead-weights' next to him. Neither of them could even tie their own shoes!

'Hn,' Itachi thought as he glared; silently wishing that he was anywhere or anyone else just so long as he wasn't being placed in the same category at these losers.

Yotaro was near shock as he sat in the classroom. Here he was sitting in the same room with the 'prodigy' waiting for an s-class jounin to come and speak with them, possibly even instruct them! Him! The weapon throwing weirdo! He had never even spoken to Itachi before; instead he was ignored and pushed into the shadows. Sure he was good at what he did but Itachi was better at everything else. Who would pay attention to someone who could only use weapons anyway? Apparently someone did…

Hikari was afraid. Deathly afraid. She knew who was coming and she knew why. She also knew what he was going to do…and who he was going to do it to. She fidgeted awkwardly as she did her best to calm her nerves. After all, Kyo-nii-chan was her cousin; he wouldn't really kill her…would he…? Hikari gulped. She dearly hoped not, but then again, Kyo did tend to have a temper at times. But he's never killed anyone before!...At least…not without it being a job….maybe…

She was so lost in her thoughts that Hikari didn't even notice when a hand suddenly snaked out and grasped one of her white pigtails.

"Ow! Hey! Yotaro!"

Yotaro laughed at Hikari's reaction. He knew that he wasn't hurting her because he wasn't pulling hard at all, just a gentle tug to show that he was interested in annoying her.

"Don't be such a baby, Hikari-chan. Lighten up a little!" Yotaro said and Hikari did her best to glare over her shoulder as she tried to get him to release her hair.

"You wouldn't be so happy if you knew what Kyo-nii-chan is gonna do to us! Now let GO!" Swinging around her hand Hikari caught the unsuspecting boy squarely on the back of his head with her clenched fist. Yotaro's eyes went wide in pain and he yelped as he accidentally yanked hard on Hikari's hair causing her to cry out as well. Thrown off balance neither child had enough co-ordination to stay standing, and they ended up sprawled out on the floor at Itachi's feet.

"You two are pathetic. I can not even believe that rejects like you made it into the academy."

An angry flush spread rapidly across Hikari's cheeks and she quickly detangled herself from Yotaro and leapt to her feet, ignoring the dust that now rested on her white skirt and vest. "You stupid jerk! Don't talk to us like you're superior! We're just as good as you!"

Itachi snorted and crossed his arms as he looked out the window. "You would seem more intelligent if you never opened your mouth."

"WHAT?"

"Are you deaf as well as dumb?"

Unable to control her temper any longer Hikari launched herself at the arrogant boy and tackled him to the ground. Itachi's eyes were wide in surprise at the unexpected attack, and unready he hit the ground hard with Hikari straddling his waist.

"I'll show you, stupid!" Hikari declared as she went in for the attack.

Itachi's eyes widened once again but this time it was caused by Hikari's choice of attack. His body began to shake as he viciously tried to keep his mouth shut; not wanting to give her the satisfaction of knowing she caused him to cave.

Yotaro, who had been staring dumbly at the display for several minutes, suddenly scrambled across the floor and added his own arsenal to the attack. That was it, Itachi couldn't hold it in any longer and he burst out into peals of laughter. Not wanting to be beaten, he fought back viciously and soon he had turned the tide on Hikari and allowed his own fingers to dance across her stomach and sides returning the tickling she had given him with Yotaro helping, having decided that she was a lot more fun to tickle then Itachi anyhow.

"Do you give?" Itachi demanded.

"N-NEVER!" Hikari forced out through her laughter.

"You'll never win Hikari! We've got you out numbered!" Yotaro said.

"O-oh yeah?" Without warning Hikari rolled to her stomach and kicked herself into a hand-stand before she pushed off the ground in a back handspring. She landed in a light crouch before she spun and launched herself at both boys sending them all sprawled out on the floor once again as she attacked them both at once.

"Well now, what do we have here?" An amused voice said from the doorway and all activity in the room froze. "It seems to me that you three are having a bit more fun then you should be. This is, after all, a classroom."

"K-Kyo-nii-chan!" Hikari shouted from her position above the boys while they strained their necks to see past her. Suddenly, realizing the childishness of what he had just been doing, Itachi hastily pushed Hikari from his lap and stood; brushing dust from his clothes as he did so.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Yotaro said as he stood as well. "You're that ninja!"

Kyo chuckled. "I'm a ninja but I don't know as I'm 'that ninja'."

"Yeah you are! You're mizu-akki! The water demon!"

"Ah, yes. I suppose I am."

Hikari looked up from her position on the floor, confusion evident in her eyes. "Mizu-akki?"

Kyo looked down at her with a fond smile. "Aa. Come to the roof you three. We have a lot to talk about."

XXXXXXXXXXX

"Are we in trouble Kyo-nii-chan?" Hikari asked as she gently bit her lip, her green eyes carefully avoiding her cousin's.

Kyo sighed as he leaned against the roof's railing. "Yes and no."

"What does that mean?" Yotaro asked his nerves on end with excitement.

"That means that you three are going to be punished for your little adventure in the restricted area of the P.F.T. field but you are going to be rewarded for your excellent performance of skill and team work."

Itachi stifled a snort as he glared at Kyo suspiciously. "Sounds hypocritical to me. Punish us for doing something wrong and then reward us for the same thing."

Kyo nodded once before flipping his long bangs from his eyes. "That's true, it is a bit hypocritical but we figured that now that the three of you know that your are above the level of academy nins we would be hard pressed to stop you from doing anything else stupid."

Hikari blinked rapidly. "I'm above academy level?"

Kyo brought his hand to his mouth to cover a small smile. "Only in physical abilities I'm afraid. In everything else you're more then just a bit behind."

"…………huh?"

Yotaro snickered and Itachi rolled his eyes. "Yes, that's right," Itachi said. "Prove his point correct in your outstandingly vast use of the Japanese language."

Unable to help himself Yotaro broke into peals of laughter as Hikari stared at the Uchiha blankly.

"What? Really Itachi-baka, how do you expect people to understand you if you don't talk normal?" Hikari said trying to cover up what she figured was most likely another insult.

"You mean incompetently?"

"Alright, that's enough," Kyo broke in as Yotaro attempted to gain control over himself once again. "I haven't finished talking to you three yet. You can exchange insults when I'm through if you don't mind."

Itachi and Hikari exchanged a glare before they huffed and turned to face Kyo in agreement. Yotaro quickly over came his laughing fit and slid back onto the steps between his glowering companions.

"So what are you gonna do to us Kyo-san?" Yotaro asked breaking the heavy silence.

"Train you."

"…" "…" "…"

"WHAT!"

XXXXXXXXXXX

Hikari angrily pounded on the dummy Kyo had made for her at the beginning of her training. Splintered pieces of straw spilled from many different places in the dummy's body as Hikari continued to pound it mercilessly. She couldn't believe this was happening to her. Sure she wanted to be in Itachi's class so that she could get to know him better, but now that she knew him the last thing she wanted was to be stuck with him during class and then after school for training as well!

A well placed round-house kick viciously snapped the pole holding the straw dummy up and it fell heavily to the dirt covered ground. Hikari stood over it panting for several seconds before she finally walked over to the porch and grabbed her towel. Lifting herself absently with one hand she boosted her body up onto the court yard porch and sighed.

'What if he figures out that I like him?' Hikari thought as she used the towel to dab off the sweat that covered her face. 'The last thing I need is for him to think I'm just some dumb fan girl like everyone else.'

"Besides, it's not my fault," Hikari said quietly as she layed back onto the wood. "Auntie Akina said that Haruno's have always been able to find their soul mates really early…"

"That's only because she really wanted to marry your uncle."

Hikari yelped and rolled to her side only to end up falling off the porch in her surprise. "K-Kairi-nee-chan! Don't DO that!"

Kairi chuckled as she lifted the girl back up and brushed her off before sitting next to her. "Is there anything I can help you with Hikari-chan? You know you can tell me anything."

"I-it's nothing Kairi-nee-chan. I was just thinking."

"About Itachi-kun ne?" Kairi said with a wink.

Hikari blushed. "No way! Why would I be thinking about that jerk? He's just a stupid boy!"

Kairi smiled and kissed Hikari's hair gently before standing. "Of course Hikari-chan. How could I have been so silly as to suggest other wise?"

"That's right!" Hikari said, not noticing the teasing tone of Kairi's voice. "You should know better then to think that I loved someone as dumb as Itachi-baka!"

Kairi grinned as she slid open the shoji screen of the back door. "Who ever said anything about love?"

Hikari was silent for a minute before she finally realized that she had been tricked and her face turned a violent shade of red. "Kairi-nee-chan!"

End Chapter Four

* * *

Kaliea: A bit shorter then all of the others, but then again it is only a filler chapter. Please review!

* * *

Review Answers:

Danny-171984: Don't worry, I totally understand that; it's happened to me loads of times. As for giving up, never. I like my stories to much to just abandon them. So even if its months later know that I will get around to updating eventually. And I'll admit that Hikari falling for Itachi was rather fast but that will be explained in full detail later (in HOFH too) and she will be fighting against her love for quite a while before she finally gives in. Again, don't worry about the other review and if you get worried about it doing the same thing again copy it before you submit it, that way if it bumps you off you still have the same stuff you already wrote (I figured that out just a little while ago). Thanks so much for the review!

Scythe195: Thank-you! I'm so glad that you're enjoying it! That's the whole reason I write (aside from my own amusement).

Cyberwing: Thank-you and I'll do my best to update regularly but I will promise nothing.

Susa-chan: Yep! He sure does! He just won't figure it out for a long, long time. After she gets proposed to by someone else…

Sharingan-x-blossom: I hope you keep loving it!

Suki da Turdle: I completely agree! I love it when people update!

Kellyvan5543: Thanks, I'll do my best!

Tears like Crystals: Hee, hee! I've done that before! Sometimes I have to read a chapter three or four times before I finally slow down enough to understand it.

YamiKitsuneKami: I love all kinds of accents myself (German being one of my favorite). Anywho, sorry about the long wait last time, I'll try to do better in the future.

Dragon Man 180: Not quite chewing out but the parents will come in later. And don't worry; Kyo will make them pay for what they did. Hard training anyone?

Tennisdesi91: Thanks!

* * *

Kaliea: Thanks so much to all of my reviewers! I love you all sooo much! It's nice knowing that you enjoy my writing, that way when I finally get around to finishing my book I can get you all to read it! Right?...Yeah…anywho, review please and till next time, ja ne! 


	5. Chapter 5

**Dark and Light: **The story of Itachi and Hikari

* * *

Chapter Five

"What where you thinking? You could have been killed!"

Hikari kept her eyes focused on the floor as her father continued to question her. His voice was harsh and stinging but she knew that he was only afraid for her. She bit her lip in an attempt to hold back the burning tears that threatened to fill her eyes. She knew that he wasn't trying to be mean or cruel. He just wanted her to be more careful. He was only doing it because he loved her.

"I had no idea that you could even be so stupid!"

Hikari flinched slightly and hunched her shoulders a bit. Still, he could be just a tad bit nicer about it.

"Well what do you have to say for yourself young lady?" Takeru said sharply, his dark green eyes pulsing with an angry heat.

Hikari's lower lip quivered violently as she looked up at her father with bright, watery, emerald green eyes that seemed to hold every sorrow possible of the world. "I-I'm s-so-rry otou-chan. I-I'll b-be goo-d from now on." She clasped her hands together under her chin and sniffed. "F-forgive m-me?"

Takeru's anger swiftly melted and he lowered himself to his knees to wrap his quivering daughter in his arms. "Don't cry, 'Kari-chan. I didn't mean to be so upset. You just had me worried. I don't want to ever loose you and I was afraid that I came very close to having done so. Do you forgive me?"

"A-always otou-chan," Hikari whispered as she slowly wiped her teary eyes with the back of her hand.

"Alright then," Her father placed a soft kiss on her forehead and motioned her towards the front door. "Why don't you hurry along then, you'll be late for your first training session."

"H-hai. Ja matta ne Otou-chan." With that said Hikari rounded the corner into the entry hall and sat down to pull on her knee-high white boots before hurrying out the front door.

"You're too soft."

Takeru turned at the amused sound of his wife's voice. "What do you mean?" He asked. "Do you think I should have punished her more? I don't want her to hate me Nolani."

In answer Nolani laughed long and hard sparing a glance at her husband only to double over grasping her cramping stomach at the bemused look on his face. At long last the petite woman over came her laughter only pausing for a slight gasp of breath before she wiped away the tears that had gathered in the corners of her eyes.

"Takeru," She giggled. "She wasn't really crying."

"Huh? Yes she was. Didn't you see her? That is definitely what I would call crying," the Haruno clan head said as he looked at his wife as if she was from another planet.

Suddenly, without warning, tears sprung to Nolani's eyes and her lower lip quivered as she stared up at her husband; her bright blue eyes filled with pain. "Y-you don't b-believe m-m-me?"

A look of utter fear crossed Takeru's face as he quickly tried to calm his wife and amend what it was that he had said. "No! No, I do believe you 'Lani! I just- I didn't-."

Suddenly Nolani's tears dried up as if they had never been there and she laughed softly as she patted her husband gently on the cheek. "You still have a lot to learn about women my love."

Takeru just stared at his wife's back as she turned to go and tend to the whimpering Sakura. "I…you…" He just shook his head. "Never mind. I don't even want to know."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Itachi, Yotaro, and Hikari all stared blankly at there sensei as if trying to discover if he was truly serious about the mission he had assigned them. When his expression didn't waver Hikari decided to ask him to confirm his order.

"Tag! You want us to play tag! What are we? Seven!"

Itachi and Yotaro each sent the white haired Haruno an 'are you an idiot' stare before she realized what she had just said. "Oh…oh yeah…sorry. Dumb question." She waved her hand in a dismissive wave. "My bad."

"Anyway," Kyo said with a slight shake of his head. "To answer Hikari's question; yes. I want you all to play tag. Only this is going to be quite a different game then you used to play before you came to the academy."

Itachi and Yotaro exchanged a slight look and Kyo shrugged. "Well, differed then what Hikari played before she came to the academy. I forgot for a moment that the two of you don't have normal lives."

The two boys shrugged. Well, Yotaro did, Itachi just sort of twitched his shoulder and looked away. "So what are these rules?" Yotaro asked wanting to start the mission.

"The rules are: everyone against me, who ever doesn't tag me it gets dropped from the academy, and you only have two hours."

"…" "…" "…"

"WHAT?"

XXXXXXXXXXX

'Oh man, oh man, oh man, oh man!' Hikari thought as she crouched under a bush to work out a strategy. 'I'm no good at thinking up plans! And with out one I'll never be able to tag Kyo-nii-chan. Actually, I'd probably never be able to tag him even if I did have a plan; at least not by myself. Maybe if Itachi, Yotaro, and I all tried at once…but we're all enemies in this so they wouldn't want to work with me. Besides, they're way too proud to ever admit that they would need help; especially not from a girl.'

Several seconds of pure silence past before a light bulb seemed to click on half way.

'Hey wait!' She paused. 'No, no. I still don't get it…hm…'

(Teamwork you idiot! It's made so that you work with each other! Hello!) Inner Hikari yelled at her ditzy alter-ego.

"Oh! I've got it! Teamwork!" Hikari exclaimed with a grin. Inner Hikari merely beat her head against a mental wall as she begged to know why she had been placed in such an idiot. "Now to find the boys and get them to work with me!"

XXXXXXXXXXX

Itachi's lip quirked slightly at the corner as he quickly spotted his prey below him. Just a few more feet and he would have the legendary mizu-akki at his mercy. To bad for him that Uchiha Itachi didn't show mercy. A full smirk formed across his lips as he silently launched a kunai to his left where it triggered his trap. Several kunai flew from a hidden location at once but Kyo suddenly smirked up at the younger boy and disappeared in a puff of smoke. Itachi growled and turned away; determined to find the older nin once more when a voice sounded from below.

"Itachi-san! Yotaro-kun! Hey! Where are you?"

Itachi cursed and spun on his heel as he realized that his wayward kunai where headed right for the oblivious girl.

"Hikari!" Three voices shouted at once. "Move!"

Hikari only had a chance to stare at the kunai in surprise before a gray blur jerked her from harms way. Hikari and her rescuer grunted as they hit the ground hard while Itachi and Kyo appeared.

"What where you thinking?" Kyo said his face white and his hands shaking at his cousin's close call with death. Suddenly three hands reached out and touched him.

"I was thinking that you're it, Kyo-onii-chan!" Hikari grinned as she rolled to her feet and stood up next to her teammates. "And now I'm thinking that we get to stay at the academy. Cause we win!"

"I have to admit Itachi, I was a bit worried but now I see that you really are as smart as everyone says." Yotaro admitted. "Well, almost as smart anyway."

Itachi glared at the gray clad boy and crossed his arms over his chest. "Hn."

"Wha-I…plan?" Kyo stuttered.

"Yep!" Hikari grinned. "I figured out that it was a teamwork thing, Yotaro-kun got Itachi-san to help us, and Itachi-san came up with the plan! We did good huh?"

"I-uh-well-yes…you did manage to pass at least…I guess…"

"Woot!" Hikari giggled as she tackled both boys to the ground in a fierce hug. "We pass! We pass! We pass!" She paused for a moment before looking up at Kyo. "Uhh, what did we pass?"

"The genin exam," Kyo said. "You three are now the newest team of genin. Team four. Congratulations graduates."

Three pairs of eyes stared at Kyo in disbelief before Hikari hugged the boys again and both she and Yotaro began shouting. "We passed! We passed! We passed!"

Even Itachi could suppress his own smile of satisfaction. Maybe now his father would be satisfied.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Hikari and Yotaro somehow managed to convince Itachi that they should go inform their families together and then go out to celebrate. He was grudging of course but in the end he turned away and gave his infamous 'hn' and both of them drug off taking this as a very complying yes.

Hikari went first, happily bouncing around the Haruno Estate exclaiming to anyone nearby that she was a ninja. No it wasn't hard. Yes she will be great at it. No she didn't have any problems, well, aside from almost dying but that was beside the point!

Finally the other two boys grew irritated by her distraction and drug her off to speak to her father who had actually already heard the news from his second cousin's son's fiancée who had heard it from her future cousin-in-law who Hikari had told first. At this Hikari had to pout because she had wanted to tell her father but she quickly got over her disappointment when he handed her some money to go spend at the Ichiraku Ramen stand to celebrate.

"Come on! Itachi's next! Then we'll go get Tenten-chan from daycare and she can come too!"

Yotaro grinned at Hikari, happy that his new teammate was willing to include his baby sister in their activities before they both drug a reluctant Itachi off to his own estate on the other side of Konoha. Fortunately it was close to both the daycare center and Ichiraku so it wasn't at all out of their way.

When the newly formed team four arrived at the Uchiha Estate Itachi spoke to no one; only offering polite nods to those who greeted him on the way to the main house. Once there he sat on the porch next to a rather fancy looking rice paper door and motioned for his teammates to kneel on the square pillows just outside as he kneeled on the bare porch and rapped on the wood before lowering his head to the ground. The few seconds that passed before the door slid open felt like a life time for Yotaro who had never before had to act in such a formal manner as Hikari had. She was the picture of formality as she sat strait and silent as the Uchiha clan head appeared.

Uchiha Kohei was a stern looking man who didn't seem to know how to smile judging by the creases around his mouth. As the shooji screen fully opened he simply glanced down at his son with guarded eyes as he ignored the other two children who had lowered themselves into a low bow similar to his dark haired son.

"What do you have to say, Itachi?"

Slowly Itachi lifted himself up to his knees and rested his hands on his lap as he looked up at his father. "I have passed the genin exam otou-san. I am now counted among the rank of ninja."

Kohei stared at Itachi for a moment before he nodded slowly. "As expected of my child." Was all he said before he waved his hand in dismissal and slid the door shut once more.

The trip out of the Uchiha Compound was, if possible, even more silent then the trip in. This time Itachi didn't even acknowledge the greetings that he was given, choosing to instead focus all of his attention ahead of him towards the gates that marked the edge of the Estate.

Once they passed the gate both Yotaro and Hikari let out a huge sigh before turning their gazes onto Itachi.

"Man!" Yotaro said. "Is your dad always that mad?"

Itachi sent Yotaro a half confused half glare. "My father was not angry," he said. "He was proud of my accomplishment."

"Are you sure?" Hikari asked. "He didn't seem real happy."

Itachi folded his arms and focused his eyes forward once again. "You do not know my father."

"If you say so," Yotaro answered. "I don't have parents, so who am I to judge?"

"Come on!" Hikari said. "I wanna meet Tenten-chan!"

"Yeah!" Yotaro said. "And then we can go and get ramen!"

"Yay!" Hikari said as she grabbed the boys by their arms. "Let's hurry! I'm hungry!"

"Kay!"

"Hn."

"Tenten-chan! Here we come!"

End Chapter Five

* * *

Kaliea: A bit of a filler chapter but hey, that's what gets you to the interesting stuff. Review please!

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Review Answers:

So-kun: Did you think that it worked well? I hope so. Thanks for the review!

Scythe195: Thank-you! I liked coming up with Hikari! She's actually a lot like me. The similarities are a bit scary actually…

Tears like crystals: I can't say my updates will be soon and regular but they will come.

T34rSoFBlOoD: Thank-you! I like writing it too!

Kellyvan5543: Thank-you. They are probably my two favorite oc's that I've made so far.

Danny-171984: Yeah, Itachi's attitude is temporary. It gets worse as the story goes on. But then, I'm trying to make this as much to cannon as possible so I don't really have very many options.

Suki da Turdle: That I got from some movie…actually, I probably got it from a lot of movies…

Yamanaka Ino: Aww! How sweet! Thank-you! I'm glad to know I can make people feel happy when you read my fic. It's what I'm aiming for after all.

YamiKitsuneKami: Lol, kay. I'll post as fast as I can alright? But no promises!

Dragon Man 180: Sasuke is going to learn a lot of things about his brother in this fic that he will probably never believe but meh, that's his loss.

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Kaliea: Thanks to all of my reviewers! I hope you keep reviewing and I always appreatiate new reviewers. Anywho, have some b-day cake! My brother just turned twenty yesterday and we celebrated last night. Luv ya'll! Ja ne! 


	6. Chapter 6

**Dark and Light:** The story of Itachi and Hikari

* * *

Chapter Six

Hikari came to a sudden stop and gazed around in confusion as Yotaro led her and Itachi towards the front steps of an old worn down building that looked as though it would fall over at any second. She thought for a moment that Yotaro was going to lead them around the building but when he started to ascend the stairs she found her confusion to great to conceal.

"What are we doing at this dumpy old place?" Hikari said as she wrinkled her nose. "It looks like it's gonna fall on us."

Yotaro blushed a bit. He did his best to force the redness from his cheeks as he addressed his female comrade.

"Well…this is the orphanage…This is where Tenten-chan and I live," He said while scratching the back of his neck.

Hikari stared at him for a moment before she suddenly doubled over with laughter. She laughed and laughed for what seemed to be ages until she stooped over clutching her stomach as she gasped for breath between her remaining giggles. Finally in control of herself once more she stood strait and wiped the tears of mirth from her eyes.

"That was a good one Yotaro-kun," she said. "Now where do you really live? We have to get Tenten-chan now if we want to make it to Ichiraku before the lunch rush."

Yotaro stood with his face to the ground. His cheeks where fiery red and his eyes where brimmed with tears of embarrassment and shame. Suddenly Hikari grew somber and she bit her lip in self anger while Itachi scowled at her for her ignorance and lack of tact.

"I…I am so sorry Yotaro-kun…I didn't think…that is I thought…I'm sorry," Hikari said as she dropped her head to face the floor and hunched her shoulders in a vain attempt to hide.

Yotaro looked up at her and forced a grin. "It's no problem," He said. "I mean, if I lived in a big huge house and then came and saw this…I'd probably laugh to, right?" He chuckled emptily as he ran a nervous hand though his hair.

Tears filled Hikari's eyes as she realized that that was exactly what she had done. She had just assumed that everyone lived as well as she and Itachi did so when Yotaro had brought her to his 'home' she naturally just figured he was joking. So she laughed and now, looking at the pain on his face and in his eyes, he probably hated her.

"I'm so sorry!" She shouted as she lunged unexpectedly at the older boy, knocking him to the ground under her. "Please forgive me! I won't say stupid things anymore and I really do think that your house is nice its small and roomy and wholesome and small and dirty but that's okay cause I can help you clean it and I can do that really well and my parents won't mind cause they say I need to help people more cause they say I'm so spacey and end up making messes that I don't clean so they made me learn how to clean so that I wouldn't make trouble for people cause they said making trouble is bad and I think it's bad to so I learned how to clean and cook and sew and read and write and throw kunai and shurinken and all those dumb ninja code thingies that I have to know cause if I don't know them I couldn't pass the genin exam but it turns out I didn't need to know them cause I didn't take the written exam cause I was bad and went to the obstacle course without permission and then you guys helped me and passed too and then Kyo-nii-chan gave us that tag mission thing and Itachi came up with a good plan and you saved me cause I didn't move out of the way fast enough and now you're my friend and I'm your friend so you brought me to your house which is nice and pretty well actually it's kind of ugly but that's beside the point! Please forgive me!"

Yotaro and Itachi both stared at the white haired girl in shock as she managed to deliver her whole pointless speech without drawing a single breath until the very end. Suddenly Yotaro chuckled softly and he moved Hikari off of his chest so that he could stand. Once he was back on his feet he brushed off his clothes and reached his hand down to the sniffling girl so that he could pull her up beside him.

"Don't worry about it Hikari-chan," Yotaro said. "I forgive you. I promise."

Suddenly Hikari's tears dried up and she began jumping up and down in joy. "Yayayayayayayayyy! You forgive me! YAY! Okay! Now let's go get Tenten-chan cause now I'm even more hungry then ever!" With that said Hikari grabbed both of her teammates by their wrists and dragged them up the stairs and into the old orphanage where she began calling, loudly, for Tenten.

"Tenten-chaaaannn!" Hikari said. "We're going for raaaameeeeeen!"

Yotaro sweat dropped while Itachi's left eyes twitched in irritation. Finally he jerked his arm from Hikari's grip and glared at her while blocking her way.

"What is wrong with you?" he said. "Yelling like that. You're gonna bother people you freaking idiot!"

"No one asked you Itachi-baka! And besides, if I wanted your opinion I'd give it to you!" Hikari huffed. "Now move! I gotta find Tenten-chan!"

"Do you have to yell so loud? The whole village can hear you I'll bet!"

"You're yelling too, stupid!"

"Don't call me stupid you idiot!"

"Don't call me an idiot, baka!"

"Don't call me baka, dobe!"

"Wha-! You take that back!"

"Dobe, dobe, dobe!"

By now, both Itachi and Hikari where nose to nose growling at each other while trying to beat the other at their death glare contest.

"Uh, guys?"

"WHAT!"

Yotaro raised his fist to his mouth in an attempt to hide his grin. "You're scarring the other kids."

"Huh?" both said as they turned their eyes to the quivering orphans that where huddled, wide eyed, near the far wall of the living room where they had stopped. A light pink blush began creeping slowly up Itachi's neck and he turned away in embarrassment with a huff.

"Whatever," he said. "It's not my fault anyway. This dumb girl is the one being an idiot."

Hikari glared emerald daggers at Itachi's turned head and her fingers flexed viciously close to the kunai pouch on her right thigh.

"Calm down Hikari," Yotaro laughed. "Let's just go find my sister so we can eat, okay?"

All malice instantly left Hikari's face and she turned to grin brightly at Yotaro. "Okay!"

Itachi rolled his eyes in annoyance as Hikari began to scream for 'Tenten-chan' once more until Yotaro place a hand on one of her shoulders. "Maybe it would be best if you didn't yell," he said. "You might be scaring her away."

"Nuh-uh," Hikari said. "Nobody's scared of me." She placed her finger to her lower lip in thought. "Hey, she's just a baby right? Then she's probably sleeping like Sakura-chan always does and can't hear me."

"Like anyone could sleep through the noise your idiotic voice is making," Itachi muttered.

Hikari shot him a glare, but otherwise ignored him. "Ne, ne, Yotaro-kun. Do you think I should yell louder?"

"Ehhh. No, please don't," Yotaro said with an apprehensive step backwards.

"Just look for her, idiot," Itachi said. "We'll find her eventually."

Hikari pouted. "But I'm hungry noooww."

Before either of her teammates could respond a small hand reached out to tug on Yotaro's baggy gray pants. "Nii-tan. I hungie."

The three genin looked down at the little brown haired girl who was grasping Yotaro's pants in one hand and sucking her thumb on the other. Hikari smiled at the boys as she pointed to the little girl. "Found her!"

XXXXXXXXXX

Despite their best efforts to reach Ichiraku before the dinner rush, the small group of four still found themselves a seat short in the packed noodle stand. Yotaro was sitting on the stool closest to the wall with Tenten happily situated on his lap while Hikari glared at Itachi who was sitting on the only remaining seat.

"A gentleman should always give his seat to a lady," Hikari said.

Itachi smirked. "Good thing you aren't a lady."

"I am so! You're just not a gentleman!"

Itachi scowled. "I'm not giving you my seat, idiot. Go find somewhere else."

"There is nowhere else!"

A soft cough called their attention to behind the bar where a girl about their age was setting down a bowl of ramen for Yotaro.

"I-If you are going to yell miss, you're going to have to l-leave," She said.

"But…Where can I sit?" Hikari asked. "I don't have a stool and I'm hungry."

"Now you can sit on my lap ghost girl," A familiar voice said from two seats down. "Now wouldn't that be nice? You've probably missed me after all."

Hikari, who had gone stiff at the sound of the voice, began to tremble slightly as she slowly turned to face the boy that had spoken. "Y-Yamataro-san," she said weakly.

"Hikari," Itachi said. "Sit."

Hikari jerked around to look at Itachi and she saw that he had jumped down from the bench and was motioning for her to sit on it while he glared at the older boy. "Order, eat, and ignore him."

"I-Itachi-kun…"

Makoto glared at Itachi as he and Shishini slid down from their own bar stools. "Now I thought I told you to stay away from my ghost girl, freak." Makoto said.

"I believe I told you she isn't yours, baka."

Makoto walked over to Itachi and shoved his face up close to the younger boy's. "She's mine if I say she's mine," He growled. "Now stay away from her."

"I don't think so, baka," Itachi said as he pushed Makoto away from him. "She's on my team now."

"She isn't allowed to be a ninja," Makoto hissed. "So she won't be on your team for long."

"Who are you to say what she can and can't do?" Itachi said dully. "Go away. You're annoying."

Makoto growled and reached out to push Itachi aside so he could get to Hikari who still had yet to climb up onto the bar stool. Hikari flinched and squeaked as she quickly backed against the bar. Suddenly a hand fell on her shoulder and she jumped in shock.

"Calm down," Yotaro said as he glared at Makoto. "Just keep an eye on Tenten for me."

"O-okay…" Hikari glanced over at the little two-year-old as she slurped messily on the ramen Yotaro had set aside for her. "But. What are you-?"

Yotaro had already moved away when Hikari turned back to face him and she noticed with a frightened frown that he was now glaring up at Shishini as they stood toe to toe.

"I don't know who you jerks are, but Hikari-chan is our teammate and I won't let you scare her anymore," Yotaro said and from the corner of his eye he saw Itachi give a barely visible nod.

"Now what are you going to do?" Makoto sneered. "Fight us?"

"If we must." Itachi dropped into a loose fighting stance to enforce upon his words.

"Now you know you can't win," Makoto said.

"Yeah," Shishini agreed.

Yotaro raised an eye brow. "Oh, so you can speak."

Shishini scowled at Yotaro. "Shut up!"

"Shishini-kun," Makoto said. "Shall we dispose of these losers?"

"Yeah, Makoto-kun," Shishini grinned.

"Oi! You kids!" Ichiraku-san said snapping the crowd out of their dazed minds. "No fighting in my stand, got it?"

"Fine," Itachi said as he dropped his stance and walked out of the ramen stand.

"Now where are you going freak?" Makoto said. "Running away?"

Itachi tossed a glare at the boy from over his shoulder. "No, I'm giving us more room."

Makoto frowned as he saw the smaller boy fall into a stance in the middle of the crowded street. Last time that kid had totally wiped the floor with him but that was probably just a fluke. Yeah. Makoto smirked. After all, he hadn't been ready the last time he fought this brat, now he knew what to expect so _he_ was the one with the advantage.

"Alright freak boy," Makoto said as he began unbuttoning his jacket. "You wanna fight? Then let's fight." He tossed the worn black jacket aside and it landed with a 'flump' at Hikari's feet. Quickly she scampered onto the bar stool of the ramen stand to get away from it before she turned her worried emerald eyes to the two boys that where squaring off in the middle of the road.

"Itachi-kun," She whispered as she clasped her hands to her chest. "Please be careful."

"Are you gonna fight or just stand there?" Shishini said as Yotaro continued to block his way.

"I'm not going to fight unless you attack me," Yotaro told the other boy. "I'm just going to make sure you don't interfere with Itachi."

By now a large crowd of kids, teens, and adults, both ninja and civilian, had gathered to form a wide ring around the two combatants who where now glaring each other down, waiting for their signal to start. Out of no where a leaf floated down and landed gently between both Itachi and Makoto. That was their signal. Both boys suddenly flew at each other at a rapid pace and Hikari's voice echoed in their ears as their fists met together in a crushing blow.

"Itachi-kun!"

End Chapter Six

* * *

Kaliea: So the bullies are back and more conceited then ever. And Itachi is so sweet to defend Hikari like that huh? Such a little prince! A regular knight in shining armor! Please review!

* * *

Review Answers:

So-kun: Don't worry, people have been thinking the same thing about me for years and look how well I turned out! (Me: O.o;) Hehe, jk. Thanks for the review!

Tears like Crystals: I'm glad you like my updating so much. I'll see what I can do about updating faster.

Suki dah Turdle: I've seen more movies then I've read books and I read about fifty books a year. Yeah, I'd say I've seen lots of movies. ;)

kellyvan5543: My parents are like that actually. And I can easily say that I've used that fake tears thing on my dad loads of times. Funny that it's been eighteen years and yet it still works.

White Alchemist Taya: Thankies!

YamiKitsuneKami: Itachi is a rather hard character to write and one of the things I'm afraid of doing is messing him up. Hopefully I don't make him to OOC in this fic. If I do though, feel free to smack me with a wet noodle.

Dragon Man 180: Dads are to easy to fool that way. Especially mine. Which is where I go the modal for Hikari's dad in the first place.

Danny-171984: Itachi's dad is actually like that in the anime and manga too. If you look at the fight between Sasu and Naru when they do those flash back thingies, Uchiha-san is always frowning and saying stuff like 'As expected of my child' which to me just means that if they did anything less they wouldn't be worthy of being his kid. Such a jerk. Anywho! Thanks for reviewing!

* * *

Kaliea: Thanks for your reviews guys! Loves ya'll! Ja for now! 


	7. Chapter 7

**Dark and Light:** The story of Itachi and Hikari

* * *

Chapter Seven

Hikari gripped the edge of her stool in fear. Her green eyes where wide and overly bright as she bit her lip. She hadn't said a word since she first screamed Itachi's name at the beginning of the fight, not wanting to distract him from something that may hurt him.

After their first punches had connected fists Itachi wasted no time in bringing his left around to sink into the soft muscles of Makoto's solar plex, but at the first light touch Makoto had twisted his body to the right so his stomach slid off the punch; only receiving half the damage he would have taken. Undeterred by the older boy's dodge Itachi switched his balance just as he finished the swing so that he could throw a reverse round-house kick at Makoto's back. Sensing the attack Makoto spun on the heel of his left foot, keeping the right planted behind him for balance, and caught the kick on his crossed forearms.

Tired of being on the defensive Makoto pushed hard against Itachi's calf in an attempt to send him off balance while his hands flew together in a flurry of seals finally ending on the tiger.

"Katon: Housenka no Jutsu!" Makoto said before taking a deep breath before blew it all out along with a flurry of small fire balls.

Itachi's eyes widened in surprise as he quickly leaped into the air in order to avoid the worst of them while his hands flew together and began forming seals almost to quickly to see.

One of the chuunin in the crowd gasped in recognition of the set of seals the small boy was performing. "Impossible! There's no way he could-!"

He was cut off by the words that passed through Itachi's lips. "Katon: Goukakyuu no jutsu!"

A small ball of fire erupted past Itachi's lips and flew down to where Makoto had been standing in shock until he forced himself to dodge to the left. He grimaced as his left leg was singed from the heat but he forced himself to stand anyway.

"Now that wasn't anything!" Makoto sneered. "I can do that a million times better."

"To use my full strength against you would be an insult to my abilities." Was all Itachi said, as he landed lightly on the ground and launched himself at the older boy once more.

This time Itachi didn't allow Makoto anytime to form hand seals as he threw punch after kick after punch. Makoto grit his teeth in anger and pain as he was forced to do nothing but dodge and block the smaller boy's powerful strikes. At last one of Itachi's punches made it through Makoto's defense striking him squarely in the jaw; sending him flying backwards where he skidded to a stop in front of the Ichiraku stand.

The members of the crowd that had been routing for Itachi let up a wild cheer as the boy straitened himself and brushed his longish black hair from his equally dark eyes.

"Leave," Itachi said. "Do not return."

The surrounding group grew quiet as Makoto stood. His face was to the ground and his right hand was clenched tightly as his shoulders rocked heavily from what seemed to be tears. Suddenly he threw his head back and let out a roaring laugh. As quickly as he had begun he stopped; jerking his head down to glare at Itachi.

"You think you have won?" he demanded. "You are still a rookie no matter what rank you hold."

Itachi's eyes darted to the left where Makoto's finger directed him. There he saw Yotaro trapped against one of the Ichiraku's poles by Shishini who was holding a kunai to his exposed neck. Instantly Itachi froze; his eyes icy as he glared at Makoto.

"Now what do you have to say to that?" Makoto sneered. "Can't risk your teammate ne?"

"…."

"Nothing to say?" Makoto taunted.

"….Idiot…"

"Huh?"

"You are an idiot," Itachi said.

"Now you take that back!" Makoto said. "Or do you want your friend killed?"

Several of the observers now began to move forward to interfere but the members of the Konoha Police Force (aka: Uchihas) blocked their paths, forcing them to remain where they were.

"Yotaro-kun!" Hikari yelled in terror. "Yamataro! **Anata no hiretsukan desu yo**!"

"Ghost girl!" Makoto said in mock surprise. "Language! There are children around you know."

Yotaro laughed at Hikari's words and tossed her an amused look. "Don't worry Hikari-chan," He said as a cloud of smoke engulfed him with a 'poof'. "I won't let him hurt me." He finished as he appeared several feet away.

Hikari and Shishini both starred in surprise as 'Yotaro' suddenly turned into a trash can.

"Kawarimi no jutsu," Hikari said. "But I didn't even see his hands move…"

"If you are finished being a coward," Itachi said. "We may continue."

Yotaro glared at Itachi and grit his teeth. He knew that there was no way he could beat the smaller boy fare and square but perhaps…His eye darted to the corner of Ichiraku where Tenten was stuffing a handful of noodles in her mouth as she watched the fight in interest. He smirked.

"Well?" Itachi said dully. "Do you concede?"

"Now of course," Makoto said smoothly. "Not!" Before anyone could react Makoto had thrown a shurinken at Tenten who simply tilted her head to the side in wonder as the small shiny object sped towards her head.

"No!"

"Tenten!"

"Hikari!"

Everyone stood in perfect silence as blood slowly soaked through white turning the cloth a dark red.

Hikari, who was the closest to the small girl, had leapt in the way of the shurinken to protect her while Yotaro shouted his sister's name as he scrambled to his feet in an attempt to reach his her; only to freeze as the shurinken sunk into Hikari's shoulder.

Itachi was in shock. He couldn't move, couldn't breath, couldn't speak. The only thing he had managed out was the hoarse cry of his teammates name before his voice was stolen away by the sight of the blood. Her blood. His body began to tremble and he clenched his fists so tightly that his nails cut crescent marks in the flesh of his palms.

Finally Yotaro snapped out of his daze as Hikari fell from Tenten's bench with a cry of pain and landed hard on the ground grasping her shoulder.

"Hikari!" he said as he rushed over to the white haired girl. "Hold still!" As gently as he could he grasped the center of the shurinken and jerked it swiftly from the wound. Hikari shouted and doubled over in pain as Yotaro ripped the sleeve from his shirt and pressed it viciously against her bloody shoulder.

"You hurt her…"

All eyes turned to Itachi as he glared at Makoto. "You _hurt_ her."

Makoto slowly began to inch backwards towards the crowd, his eyes filled with apprehension.

"I'll _kill_ you," Itachi hissed as he began to advance on the now cowering boy.

"Itachi no baka!" Hikari shouted. "I don't need you to defend me! I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself!"

Itachi stopped.

"So if anyone gets to kill him it would be me, baka-kun!"

"Aa."

Hikari sighed in relief at Itachi's agreement. She had been afraid, terrified, that Itachi really would have gone through with his threat to kill the other boy and, while she hated Makoto, she cared for Itachi more. To much to allow him to throw his life as a ninja away for killing someone that wasn't worth it.

"Now get over here and fix my shoulder Itachi-baka! Yotaro-kun needs to see Tenten-chan!"

Itachi sighed and rolled his eyes as he spun on heel and marched to Hikari's side. "Do not order me around, idiot," he said as he poked her forehead.

"Hey!" Hikari said. "I'm injured! Don't injure me more, baka!"

"Nothing could injure your thick head."

"….Hey!"

Itachi smirked at Hikari's slow reaction. "Baka," He said as he wrapped Hikari's shoulder and then turned his back to her. "Get on."

"Huh?" Hikari blushed.

"You lost blood. You're weak. Get on."

Hikari tried to scowl but she couldn't quite cover her smile. "You could be nicer about it you know."

"Hn."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Even the Konoha Police Force stood in a terrified awe as the four kids headed off in the direction of the hospital. They had never even dreamed that something like that would have sprouted from a childish battle in the streets. And when that Uchiha boy had declared he would kill the other boy….several members of the crowd shuddered as they returned their eyes to the pale boy left alone in the circle they had formed.

After what seemed ages, Uchiha Sakani, captain of the second police division, stepped forward and grasped Makoto by the back of his shirt.

"That was not the mission that you where assigned."

Makoto tried to sneer at the man but the pasty color of his lips toned it down considerably. "Don't tell me how to do my job."

Sakani growled and shook the boy hard. "You could have killed that girl." His glare hardened. "And you would have killed that child."

"Now you know it was all for the greater good."

"….You are under arrest."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"It's nothing too terrible. She should be fine in a day or two."

Yotaro slumped in his chair and breathed out a loud sigh of relief at Kashakani-sensei's words. He thought for sure that Hikari would have to loose her arm or something. He turned his head over to look at Tenten who was curled up, fast asleep, in the chair next to him. He smiled softly before he turned his eyes back to the bed where Hikari was being treated. He didn't know how he would ever thank that girl.

On the outside Itachi didn't seem to show any change in emotion at the news of his teammate's condition, but to one who new him well it would be easy to recognize how the lines in his forehead softened out just a bit or that his frown wasn't quite so deep. His eyes where closed as he leaned against the wall next to the window but his ears where wide open searching for any sound that could possibly threaten his new found fr…acquaintances. After all, they where weaker then him, so it was his duty to protect them; even if this was a highly secure hospital.

Hikari flinched and whined out her disapproval as the doctor applied antiseptic to the puncture on the back of her shoulder blade. "Senseiiii! That huuurts!"

Kashakani-sensei chuckled as he finished cleaning the wound and pulled out a bandage to wrap it. "Hikari-chan is a funny girl to be so upset by medicine. From what Yotaro-kun says you took that shurinken pretty quietly."

"That's different!" Hikari said with a pout. "That's my job as a konoichi! I'm supposed to get hurt!"

Yotaro grinned. "Or something like that."

"…idiot…"

Hikari jerked her head around to face Itachi whose eyes still remained closed. "What did you say to me Itachi-baka!"

"…Hn…"

Hikari growled and continued to yell at the silent Uchiha while Kashakani-sensei just laughed at her antics as he finished wrapping her shoulder. Yotaro just smiled at his friend's energy; thankful that she would make a full recovery.

"ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME ITACHI-BAKA!"

Yotaro's eyes drifted over to Itachi and his eyebrows lifted a bit in surprise as he noted the barely there smile on the Uchiha's face. He smirked. Who would have thought Uchiha Itachi would grow so attached to someone that quickly.

"I-TA-CHIII!"

Especially if that person was Haruno Hikari.

End Chapter Seven

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Kaliea: I hate Makoto. Do you hate Makoto? I say we start a Makoto hate group. (Mumbles) Stupid, obsessive, egotistical brat…Anywho! Please review!

* * *

Review Answers:

sasuke9999: Thanks! I'll do my best!

White Alchemist Taya: Who's gonna win? Itachi will be insulted. ;)

Tears like Crystals: Thanks so much! I love the fact that so many people like my stories. (sniff) I feel so loved!

ShadowYasha: HOFH isn't going real well at the moment (lot's of complications) But I'm trying to work it all out so I update asap. Good thing I don't write these for a living…

YamiKitsuneKami: Er…yeah! That'll work. I was actually thinking soggy spaghetti or something (family thing) but that works too.

kellyvan5543: Hehe, yeah, they do tend to get just a bit carried away at times…lots of times…

So-kun: As if anyone has the right to tell Hikari what to do, the minute she understands

what they're saying she'll kick their butt! ;)

Suki dah Turdle: Loads of books. Can't get enough. Thanks for the review!

Danny-171984: Yeah. Hikari can be a bit of an idiot at times but she doesn't mean it. She just hasn't quite caught up with her age group yet…or Tenten-chan's age group yet (sweatdrop) Uhh, she will get there eventually though. (Reads over HOFH) ….Or not…either way works.

Dragon Man 180: He would have if Hikari hadn't stopped him. He would have done that and way more too. I hadn't thought of Tenten riding Yotaro's back (which is weird cause my brothers have Ethan riding their shoulders all the time (Ethan's my baby brother)) I'll have to work that in somewhere. (Sarcastically) Yeah, that will be way hard.

* * *

Kaliea: Thanks for the reviews guys! Please send me more (puppy dog eyes) Pwees? Oh! And just to clear up the ages of our bullies, Makoto and Shishini are both twelve (Shishini is a few months older) Please review! 


	8. Chapter 8

**Dark and Light:** The story of Itachi and Hikari

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Chapter Eight

Hikari sat huddled under a bush anxiously waiting for the shadowed figure before her to make a move. So far nothing had changed for the near five minutes that she had been waiting but she knew it was only a matter of time before she had her chance to advance. Finally, after what seemed to be ages, the figure moved into the spot that she had singled out before hand.

(Go!) Inner Hikari cheered as her alter-ego leapt from the branches of the bush and tackled her prey to the leafy forest floor. "Tag! You're it!" (Hell yeah! I rock!)

"Idiot," Itachi smirked before both kids where enveloped in a puff of smoke leaving Hikari alone in the clearing pinning a log to the ground.

"Heyy! That's cheating!"

"Only because you're to dumb to know how to do it," Itachi said from the trees before disappearing from her sight once more.

"Baka," Hikari muttered before she set out to try and find her two teammates once more.

Ever since their first day of training almost three months ago a daily round of tag had been a common occurrence for the trio after Kyo had dismissed them for the day. Not that they didn't know he was still there. Hikari had informed them that her cousin stayed around every afternoon to watch them and because of that they all put even more effort into their 'game' then they did in missions. Not that they really needed any effort to complete the missions that they where given anyway. The ones that they where given where so juvenile that they easily completed one in less then an hour only to move onto the next. So far they averaged six d-rank missions a day.

Kyo was of course impressed with their skills. Their training and missions had improved them greatly. But tag was what gave them the most experience. Their tracking, stealth, and jutsus had all upped at least two levels since their first day as a team and combining that with their already above academy level that left them almost equal to a rookie chuunin. Maybe tomorrow he would introduce them to the true first rank of ninja.

XXXXXXXXXX

"I win again. I win again." Hikari sang as she skipped ahead of her teammates to Ichiraku after stopping by to pick up Tenten. Itachi grumbled under his breath and glared away from the white haired girl ahead of him.

He still had no idea how she managed to win so many times. She just seemed to always know where they where. Every once in a while he and Yotaro would notice her coming but most of the time she just appeared out of no where, and then when it was her turn to hide she could remain hidden for hours only to tell them later that she had been right behind them the whole time. It just didn't make any since. She was to 'academically challenged' to be able to come up with some sort of aura hiding ability all on her own.

Maybe Kyo-sensei had been teaching her in secret; playing favorites. Itachi scowled. Well then, he would just have to get Kyo-sensei to stop favoring her and start favoring him.

"Itachi-baka!" Hikari called. "Hurry up! You're gonna get left behind!"

Itachi's head shot over to where Hikari had stopped to wave at him. Tenten's hand was clasped tight in Hikari's other hand and the little girl smiled wetly around her thumb.

"Ya! Huwwy!"

Itachi fought down a smile as the toddler bounced up and down clumsily on the balls of her feet in an attempt to mimic the naturally hyper girl next to her.

"Aa," He said. "I'm coming."

"Well come faster! Yotaro-kun has already ordered our ramen!"

"Don't order me around, idiot."

Hikari started walking again but glanced back over her shoulder so she could keep looking at him. "Don't call me an idi-aah!"

Hikari pulled Tenten close in order to save her from hitting the ground, but in the process the wind was pushed from her lungs as the girl landed hard on Hikari's stomach as her back hit the road.

"Hey! Watch where you're going stupid!" Hikari said as she set Tenten aside and attempted to regain her breath. She felt a slight breeze ruffle her hair a bit before she glanced up at the person she bumped into. Her eyes narrowed slightly in confusion as she saw only the back of Itachi.

"Itachi-baka? How did you get over here so fast?"

Itachi ignored her as he continued to focus his attention on the person in front of him. "What are you doing here Kenta?"

Uchiha Kenta sneered down at the slightly shorter boy. "It's a public street isn't it? I can walk here if I want to."

"You ran into her on purpose."

"Purpose? What purpose? I was just on my way home."

"The estate is the other way."

"You would know wouldn't you Prodigy-san?"

"Don't call me that."

"Why not Prodigy-san? It's what everyone else calls you."

Itachi's face was blank as he stared up at the taller boy. "Your eyes are turning green."

Hikari clutched Tenten's hand tightly as she bit her lip in apprehension. She had no idea who this boy was but the feeling she was getting from Itachi let her know that whoever he was, he wasn't a friend; or at the very least, not friendly.

"Itachi?"

The Uchiha heir didn't say anything as he jerked his chin in the direction of Ichiraku. Hikari nodded silently and stood gingerly; finally relaxing her grip on Tenten's hand as she noticed the girl was growling and trying to escape. Hikari walked several feet before she noticed that Itachi wasn't following and she paused to glance back at him only to start slightly as his face appeared next to hers. She sent him a questioning glance but he ignored it and tapped his pointer finger lightly against her back; telling her to keep moving.

"Hey," Yotaro said as he walked up. "What happened? And who is that?" He jerked his chin slightly towards Kenta who was still glaring heatedly at Itachi's back.

"A cousin." Itachi shot Yotaro a look and the other boy nodded. They would continue this later.

"A cousin? Your cousin? What did he want? Why did he bump into me? Is he mean? He must be if he is related to you. It probably runs in the family huh? So answer me! Is he your cousin? Hey! Itachi-baka! Don't ignore me!"

"You're annoying."

"Wha-hey! I am not! Don't run off! I'm talking to you! Oh! Miso ramen! My favorite! Thanks Yotaro-kun! Hey Itachi-baka don't think I forgot about…uh…what was I talking about again? Oh yeah! That guy! That bumped into me! Is he your cousin? What did he want?"

Itachi sighed and turned in his stool. Reaching out with his left hand he poked Hikari in the forehead. "Stop talking. Idiot."

Hikari pouted and rubbed her forehead. "You're mean Itachi-baka. He must be related to you. Itadakimasu!"

Yotaro chuckled as he set aside some of his ramen noodles on a plate to cool for Tenten. "You like her."

"No. Shut up, Yotaro."

"Hai, hai," Yotaro said. "But you know you do."

"Hn."

XXXXXXXXXX

The next morning Hikari woke up late and had to hurry in order to make it to training on time. Normally she would take the time to pull her long white hair into pig tails but today she simply ran a brush through it, threw on a pair of shorts and a green shirt, and rushed out of the Haruno estate. Her feet pounded hard on the ground as she raced through the street doing her best to dodge around pedestrians as she sprinted to team four's training ground.

'Don't be late. Don't be late. Don't be late.' Her mind chanted over and over as inner Hikari raged at the stupid alarm clock that hadn't gone off.

(Stupid clock! I'll toss you out the window when I get home! How dare you make me late!)

"Ohh! I can't be late!" Hikari slid to a stop next to the three training posts where her team was waiting and bent over panting.

"To bad," Kyo said. "You already are. You did, however, make it just in time for the mission briefing."

"Aww! Not another dumb mission!"

"Hikari."

"I hate doing them! I always get stuck with doing the garden while you three get to do fun stuff like taking wood up to the roof to fix it!"

"Hikari!"

"Or I have to sit with those old ladies and listen to them talk about dumb stuff and drink yucky tea and smell that icky smelly house smelling stuff and--!"

"HIKARI!"

"What? You don't have to yell! I'm can hear you just fine!"

"Oh," Kyo said. "So you where just ignoring me then?"

"You said something?"

Kyo rubbed his palm slowly down his face in an attempt to remain calm before he began to address his students once more. "Yes Hikari. I said something. I was trying to get your attention to tell you that the mission we-."

"I said I didn't want to do a mission! Their stupid!"

"LISTEN!"

Hikari yelped and Kyo hit the side of his fist against his forehead. "Sorry. I didn't mean to yell. Just…just hear me out for once alright?"

"Geez," Hikari said. "You only had to say so."

Kyo sighed. "Anyway. As I have been **trying** to say. I have decided that you are all ready for the next step in your ninja training."

"What's that Kyo-sensei?" Yotaro said.

"A higher class mission."

Itachi smirked. This was just he chance he had been waiting for.

End Chapter Eight

* * *

Kaliea: Sorry it's so short. I'll try and make the next one a bit longer.

* * *

Review Answers:

ShadowYasha: You seem to have their characters down pretty well. I'm glad you're enjoying my story! Please keep r/r-ing.

grim reaper sakura: I wish she was in the anime. She would make Itachi a lot nicer of a person.

Susa-chan: Team four is a difficult team to write I think. Itachi is dark and broody, Hikari bright and bubbly, while Yotaro is the glue that holds them together. Kinda reminds me of team seven actually. Anyway, I think that Itachi must have had a hard, dark childhood from the beginning to make him do the things that he did later so that's what I'm trying to show. Later, after an accident, his darkness starts to really spread. Maybe even to the point that Hikari can't help.

sharingan-x-blossom: He, he. For now. Unfortunately he'll be back to his old broody self in no time.

Dearie: I really would make one if I had the time. Maybe someday when this fic is done.

sasuke9999: Thanks so much!

Suki dah Turdle: Tenten is adorable huh? Like I told Dearie-chan. I don't really have the time to make one right now. Maybe later. But hey, if you wanna do one you have my blessing. I'll give you all the info you need. Maybe even spoilers.

tennisdesi91: Thank-you. I try.

YamiKitsuneKami: Hee, hee. He is cute when he's about to kill somebody huh? Ahem, anywho, thanks for reviewing!

White Alchemist Taya: You're to kind! Please continue reading.

Danny-171984: Tenten is to sweet to get hurt by someone as dumb as Makoto. And you're right, Hikari is a kind hearted person. A bit to kind hearted for a shinobi as we'll see later.

So-kun: Uhh…well…It means you are a mean…jerk…yeah, uh, jerk works…yeah.

Dragon Man 180: Makoto gets put on probation and he does have his chakra sealed off by a member of the Hyuuga branch family (bet you can't guess who) for a whole month, but you'll learn more about that later.

Tears like Crystals: He gets more interesting as time continues. Would you believe me if I told you that he is actually jealous of Itachi always rescuing Hikari? I'll give you three chances to guess why.

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Kaliea: Thanks all for your reviews! It really helps me keep going! Keep reading and I'll keep writing! Till next time, ja ne! 


	9. Chapter 9

**Dark and Light:** The Story of Itachi and Hikari

* * *

Chapter Nine

Sandaime smiled warmly at the young team over the sleeve of papers he held. They stood at strict attention in a line in front of their sensei Haruno Kyo.

Yotaro was the farthest to the right and he fought valiantly to keep a strait face even as his mind wandered to his little sister. He needed to find her a babysitter since he didn't know how long he was going to be gone and, well, he didn't exactly trust the orphanage head, Kohanaru Kumiko. He saw how badly she treated little Naruto-kun and he was a year younger then his sister. Who knows how Kohanaro-san would treat someone older. Maybe he could ask Hikari if Tenten could stay at her house. She had a little sister too right? Or maybe Itachi's house. No. That place was to…cold.

Yotaro glanced to his side where Itachi stood as cold and emotionless as always. Well, unless Hikari managed to get under his skin. Which was actually most of the time that the two where together. It was really rather fun to watch. Like the other day when Hikari was teasing him before that guy ran into her. Speaking of which, didn't Itachi say that he would tell him about that later? Well okay, he didn't _say_ it but that's the way his eyes looked. Yotaro shook his head slightly to shake himself from his thoughts. He was supposed to be standing at attention.

Itachi forcefully resisted the irritated twitch that threatened to break his cool exterior. It was difficult though when the person next to him was _bouncing_. Oh she wasn't doing it on the outside. Not with her cousin standing right behind her and the Hokage sitting right in front of her. But he could feel it. She just had that, 'I'm-so-exited-I-can't-stand-still-but-I-have-to-or-I'll-get-into-trouble' aura about her. That one she always has before she suddenly bursts out into her uncontrollable rambles that just…irritate him. He risked a quick glance at her before returning his gaze to the front once again.

Here it comes.

Any second now.

She can't hold it in for much longer.

…3…

…2…

…1…

"Sandaime-sama! Sandaime-sama!" Her hand waved quickly through the air.

He knew she couldn't last.

Hikari knew that Kyo-nii-chan was going to scold her but she just couldn't help it! Everyone was being so quiet. How where they supposed to get a mission if nobody said anything?

Sandaime hid a smirk behind the papers he held as he motioned to the energetic girl. "Yes, Hikari-chan?"

"Do we get a mission? Huh? Do we? Huh? Do we? Cause we're really good at missions and we're ready for a big one I could even save the daimyo's wife cause I've gotten really good at saving pets and stuff cause of all the dumb missions you had us do before they are really stupid you know I hate them especially when all those old ladies want to talk to me about their dead old cats and stuff cause I don't really care I have a cat though and he's really nice not like Itachi-baka who's mean his name is Snuggles you know and he likes to sleep with me at night we did a mission at night once it was kinda fun at first but we just ended up finding a stupid herb that only grows on full moons for some medicine at the hospital it paid well though do c-rank missions pay well they probably do cause they're more dangerous then d-rank missions which are just stupid stuff like saving pets and fixing roofs and are we going to get a dangerous mission? Are we? Huh? Huh? Huh?"

Everyone stared in awe at Hikari as she finished her pointless rant off in one breath. It was actually rather impressive that she could hold her breath that long without passing out. It will probably come in pretty handy in some harder missions later in her life. If she lives that long. Right now Itachi looked like he just may strangle her and Kyo didn't seem like he would interfere with that either.

After several seconds of silence Sandaime chuckled and set the papers down on the desk. The other council members glared at the girl while Arashi-sensei just shook his head with a grin. The girl may come off to be an idiot, mostly because she was, but she could be brilliant when she needed to be. Not academically, but on the field. She had one of the best field test scores he had ever seen on an entrance exam; especially for someone who had only begun ninja training three months before. Perhaps it was time to test her out for real. Her teammates as well. After all they also excelled in field arts.

"Sandaime-sama," Arashi said. "If I might be able to suggest a mission?"

Sandaime glanced over at Arashi for a moment. His face was contemplating before he slowly nodded. "I believe that since you know their abilities best out of us all, Kyo-kun not included of course, that yes. It would be…interesting, to say the least, to see what it is that you come up with."

Arashi smiled at his old friend before he reached for the c-rank mission board. After flipping several of the pages over, he paused at one near the middle. He half smirked as he pulled it from the stack and handed it over to Sandaime.

Sandaime raised an eyebrow at the page selected and nodded slowly. "A worthy mission. Not to difficult but nothing to be relaxed over." He set the page down.

"Alright. Team Four you will be assigned to take a sealed scroll from the Daimyo of Hi no Kuni to his ambassador in Cha no Kuni. You are not to open the scroll as it contains information meant only for the eyes of Kanaro-sama. However we have been assured that the scroll has nothing vital in its contents so we ranked it as a lower class mission."

Sandaime reached out to his left where one of his assistants was waiting with the scroll he had gone to get. "Your mission begins in the morning. Take only what you need. This trip should only last a week at the most so you will not need much. Haruno-san." Sandaime held out the scroll.

Hikari squealed happily and moved forward to take it only to be beaten to it by Kyo. "I'm pretty sure that he meant me Hikari." Kyo said with a glare.

Hikari pouted and crossed her arms as she turned away from her cousin. "He didn't _say_ you. He just said 'Haruno-san'."

Sandaime laughed. "You may go. Be sure to prepare tonight."

"Hai! Domo arigato gozaimasu, Hokage-sama." Team four said in unison before they turned and left the room.

"Well," Sandaime said after they left. "This seems as though it will be quite interesting."

"They are an interesting group of kids," Arashi said. "But despite their appearances, they are some of the best nins our academy has put out in quite a while."

Sandaime smiled softly. "Of that, I have no doubt."

XXXXXXXXXXX

"We got a mission! We got a mission!"

"Shut up you idiot! My word! Do you have to sing everything that happens to us?"

Hikari stuck out her tongue. "You're just jealous Itachi-baka 'cause I can sing and you can't."

The twitch Itachi had been suppressing for so long in the mission office finally managed to break free. "You are so annoying."

"Yeah. I know." Hikari skipped off happily in the direction of Ichiraku. "Oh yeah! Yotaro-kun! You need a 'sitter for Tenten-chan ne? Well Kyo-nii-chan told me that Kairi-nee-chan has the next few weeks off. I bet she'd love to watch her for you. She's really nice like that. I hope that she marries Kyo-nii-chan so she can become my real big sister."

"Kyo-sensei isn't your brother stupid."

"I know that Itachi-baka but he's the closest person to a big brother that I have."

Itachi rolled his eyes and chose to ignore his white haired teammate. That is until he spotted a familiar person coming up behind her.

Yotaro easily noticed the change in Itachi as his eyes narrowed into barely open slits. He jumped slightly as he thought he even noticed them flash crimson for a moment. But surely that wasn't possible. People's eyes don't just change for no reason. Yotaro was pulled from his thoughts as Itachi vanished and reappeared behind Hikari, his arms protectively shielding her from the smirking boy that was approaching.

"You are supposed to be at the academy."

"I got out early," Kenta said. "Something I'm sure that you would know all about, right Prodigy-san?"

Itachi remained silent as he pushed the protesting Hikari further behind him.

"Protecting your girlfriend? Seems to me you're getting a bit soft, ne? I wonder what Uncle would say about that."

"Leave," Itachi said. "You are not wanted here."

"I'll go. As soon as you introduce me." Kenta tried to reach out to grab Hikari's arm. "Kinda cute. Saving her for when you get older?"

This time Yotaro was sure that he saw Itachi's eyes flash red as the Uchiha heir swiftly reached out and grabbed his cousin's arm tightly by his wrist. "Leave."

Kenta scowled but quickly turned it into a smirk as he pulled his hand back to his side. "Fine." He winked at Hikari. "I'll see you later."

Hikari's face was an interesting mix of red embarrassment and green disgust as she watched the other Uchiha stride off in the direction of the vast Uchiha Estates.

"Hey Hikari," Yotaro said. "I'll walk you home. Itachi told me he had something to do before we go so we'll meet up with him tomorrow okay?"

Hikari snapped out of her daze and looked at Yotaro's out stretched hand. "Oh, okay. See ya tomorrow Itachi-baka."

Itachi ignored her and instead looked over at Yotaro. The brunette subtly leaned his head in the direction of team four's training ground and Itachi nodded once before stuffing his hands into his pockets and walking off in the direction of Ichiraku. He really needed some tea and that was the closest pace available. He would meet Yotaro at the field when he was finished.

XXXXXXXXX

"So?" Yotaro said as Itachi slowly approached. "Why is that guy so interested in Hikari?"

"Hn."

"Itachi I can't help if I don't know what's going on."

"I don't need help."

Yotaro glared and crossed his arms. "I don't care. Hikari is my teammate too. I don't want anything to happen to her either."

For just a moment it seemed as though Itachi would ignore Yotaro and go home but after a long pause he finally spoke. "He is my cousin."

"Uh-huh. And?"

Itachi glared but continued. "We're exactly the same age. We where born on the same day, at the same time, in the same hospital. No one was there when he was born. Not even my Uncle."

Yotaro raised his eye brow. "Why is that?"

"It is custom in our family for all who are available to be at the birth of the next leader of the clan."

"I see. So why does he hate you so much?"

"He never gets any recognition."

Yotaro just motioned for the other boy to continue.

"I am always the one who is celebrated."

"Oooh. So you're like the god and he's just a mortal. Got'cha."

Itachi glared again. "I am not a god. I am a ninja. He is a ninja. I am better but that is no reason to hoist me above him or anyone else."

"Wow Itachi," Yotaro said. "I never knew you where so modest."

"A ninja is a ninja. Yes only the strong survive but you can only get strong through hard work. Even that idiot girl was able to become a…decent, ninja with effort."

"Well, what ever the reason he seems to have set his sights on Hikari-chan."

"He wants whatever I have. He has been trying to take it since we where young. My parents, my weapons, my friends. He does not seem to understand that none of it matters to me. Besides, I have no friends."

Yotaro snorted. "Yeah, that's why you are always jumping in front of Hikari or helping me out during missions. Because we're not your friends."

Itachi looked away.

"It's not a weakness to have feelings you know."

"All things that are unnecessary only hold you back from your full potential."

"And just how exactly do you judge your full potential Itachi? I judge mine by how much I am willing to do to protect my sister. And there is nothing I won't do for her. Does that make me weak?"

Itachi looked confused. "I…I don't know. Caring is supposed to make you weak but…I would not know. I have never cared for any one that much."

"No one?"

Itachi looked away.

"Not even Sasuke-kun? You would simply leave him on his own if he where in trouble?"

Itachi jumped slightly as the image of his brother hurt and crying floated through his head. No. He would tear whoever was responsible limb from limb. Even if it was family.

Yotaro took his silence as his answer and smiled. "Caring makes you stronger. Probably the strongest you will ever be. Don't forget that."

Itachi looked to the west as the sun sunk beneath the horizon. He wouldn't.

End Chapter Nine

* * *

Kaliea: Well that was interesting. I did not have that planned. It just sort of happened. Well, I hope you all liked it anyway. Ja!

* * *

Review Answers:

hiei-touya-icedemon: You are right about my updating by the way. That usually is how long it takes. This is just a fluke of surprising spare time that will probably never happen again for a long while. And as an answer to your last review: Every now and then I find it necessary to make characters that are specifically meant to be hated. Makoto is one of them.

Rynx- Too- Genki: It won't be as easy as I made it sound. But then when you focus on a specific group of characters things rarely go as planned. That would just be really boring.

Danny-171984: She is fun to write. And she is actually the easiest to write I think. Mostly because she is exactly like me. And don't worry. It may take me a while but I'll always update Holding Out for a Hero. I like it to much to stop. This one too actually.

grim reaper sakura: For a while anyway. Just remember that this story is based on the cannon line. Everything that happened in the real Naruto story will happen here eventually.

Dragon Man 180: No but close. And Tenten is two. The others have already been born. I talked about Sakura in an earlier chapter but as you probably noticed I mentioned the others as well.

So-kun: I decided to make her like my little sister was at that age. Absolutely adorable ;)

Tears like Crystals: Oh yes. He definitely likes her. He just won't admit it. Ever. Poor Hikari-chan.

Suki dah Turdle: Lol. I do too. Hikari is really just a slightly more extreme version of my self.

Dearie: Alarm clocks are evil. I of course only say this because if mine didn't go off every morning I would sleep until noon.

Crunchers: Is this fast enough: )

kellyvan5543: Very annoying. But strangely cute in a way he finds even more annoying.

YamiKitsuneKami: Of course. I think he's going to play a key role later on to. I say think because I'm just making this up as I go.

White Alchemist Taya: I tried to make team four sort of like team seven. Minus the obsessed fangirl of course.

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Kaliea: Okay, well. Please review and tell me what you think. The next chapter should be the first half of their mission but I'm not exactly sure. I'll figure it out when I write it. Till next time, ja ne! 


	10. Chapter 10

**Dark and Light:** The Story of Itachi and Hikari

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Chapter Ten

"Watashi wa ichiban desu yo!" Hikari sang as she skipped down the street. At the moment she was on her way to meet her teammates at the front gate and for once she wasn't late and was able to take her time rather then rush around like a lunatic with her head on fire. She stopped to shift the small green backpack on her shoulders into a more comfortable position so that it wouldn't bother her while she was walking. As she fixed the shoulder straps an unfamiliar voice called out.

"Oi! Hikari-chan! Matte kudasai!"

"Huh?" Hikari said as she turned to see who it was that called her. She wrinkled her nose up in confusion as she spotted a tall boy around her age coming towards her. He had dark brown hair and onyx eyes that shown with something mysterious, malicious. She shrunk back a little. She didn't like his eyes at all.

The boy caught up to her swiftly and leaned over with his hands on his knees in order to catch his breath.

"Um…hello…" Hikari said and the boy looked up at her with a smile. Inner Hikari cringed. He looked like a viper trying to hide its fangs.

"Hi Hikari-chan. Sorry about stopping you so sudden but I heard that you where going on a mission and I wanted to say good-bye before you left."

"Oh, um, that's really nice of you," Hikari said with a grin. "So I'll um…see you when I get back?"

The boy grinned his strangely dark grin again. "I look forward to it."

"Okay then. I'll see you!" Hikari said as she ran off towards the gate. Once she was out of the boy's range of sight she dropped her hand and looked forward in confusion. "Who was that?"

Back down the street Hikari had just left Uchiha Kenta continued to grin gleefully after her. The dark intent no longer hidden in his eyes as he ran his tongue over his upper lip.

"Stupid girl," he said. "You are going to wish that you had never met me."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Hikari was panting heavily when she finally arrived at the gate. Her brief conversation with that boy had thrown her off and she had franticly hurried towards the gate in order to be on time. Unfortunately in her haste she had made a wrong turn at the end of the market and ended up going in a large circle around Konoha until she was back where she started: the Haruno Estates. Needless to say she was pretty late and Itachi was just a bit more then a lot annoyed.

"You're late idiot," He said. "Did you circle Konoha?"

Hikari blushed and Itachi's face fell into an impassive expression. "You did. Moron."

"H-hey! I would have been here earlier if that boy hadn't distracted me! It's his fault that I made a wrong turn!"

"Don't blame your stupidity on others. It helps people realize you're dumber then you look."

Hikari stared at him. "That was kind of a compliment…I think I'll let the insult part slide just this once."

Itachi scowled. "It was all an insult baka."

Yotaro smirked. "Actually in an odd way you told her that she looked smart so I would say that it wasn't a complete insult."

"Hn."

"Ehem."

The three teammates turned their eyes over to where their sensei leaned against a tree with a smirk on his lips. "If you are all finished."

Hikari blushed again and Itachi looked away while Yotaro chuckled lightly with a hand behind his head.

"Alright. As you where told yesterday afternoon we are traveling to the—Hikari. Where is your bag?"

"Hm?" Hikari said. "Oh, it's right here." Hikari grinned as she held up her small green backpack.

Yotaro sweatdropped, Itachi scowled, and Kyo placed the side of his fist to his forehead in exasperation.

"You do realize that we are going to be gone for at least a week."

"Well duh," Hikari said. "Why do you think I packed so much?"

"Uh…Hikari-chan…Can that thing even fit your shoes?"

"No."

Kyo grit his teeth in an attempt to stifle the urge to beat his head against the tree he had just been leaning on.

"There wasn't enough room after I put in everything else."

Yotaro stared at the small bag with a raised eyebrow. "So what all did you bring?"

"Well," Hikari said as she placed the bag on the ground and began to search through it. "I have three pairs of clothes, an extra set of shurinken, six kunai, four rolls of bandages, some medicine to stop bleeding that I got from Hyuuga-sama, seven pairs of socks, three handkerchiefs, Shiro-chan, and two summoning scrolls for my favorite mangas."

The three men stared blankly at her.

"What?"

"You have all of that in that thumbnail sized bag?" Kyo said.

"Who is Shiro-chan?" Yotaro asked hesitantly.

"…You have a scroll that summons manga…"

Hikari glared at Itachi. "You got a problem with that?"

"Hn."

She grit her teeth. She really hated that word. Sound. Whatever.

"Okay…well…" Kyo said in an attempt to stall the bloodshed. "Shall we go?"

"Hn." All three said at once.

Itachi glared at his teammates and Kyo sweatdropped.

This was going to be one interesting trip.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Watashi wa ichiban desu yo!" Hikari sang again as she skipped along side of her teammates. Itachi watched her in irritation, his eyebrows twitching as the bubbly Haruno continued to sing her annoying song. "Watashi wa ichiban desu yo!"

"Shut up." Itachi scowled. "You are not number one. If anything you are zero."

Hikari pouted, looking genuinely hurt. "Why are you so mean to me all the time? I've never done anything to make you hate me."

"Hn."

"And what does that stupid word mean? Are you insulting me?"

"Hn."

"Is that a yes or a no?"

"Hn."

"Can't you say anything different!"

"Hn."

"Why you-!"

"Hikari!"

Kyo's voice cut through Hikari's anger like a kunai through paper. She stood frozen her right fist raised halfway into the air as she halted in her attempt to pound the Uchiha heir into the ground.

"Sorry…" Hikari said as she lowered her fist. "But he's so annoying!"

Itachi snorted and Yotaro stifled a grin behind his hand. Kyo ignored them and kept his eyes on his cousin who was smiling up at him innocently.

"I think that it would be best if we observed stealth from this point on Hikari."

"Okay!" Hikari saluted before looking around in expectation. "Where is it?"

Kyo's face dropped into his palms, Itachi looked on in disgust, and Yotaro lost his battle with his amusement as he doubled over in laughter.

"You can not even be serious." Itachi said.

"Why not?" Hikari asked.

Itachi stared at her for a second before he brushed past her and continued on his way. An idiot such as her wasn't worth his time.

"Hey! Itachi-baka! I thought we where supposed to be watching stealth!" Hikari said as she hurried forward to catch up to the Uchiha. "How can I watch it if I don't know where it is? Itachi-baka! Are you even listening to me? Hey! Wait up!"

Kyo sighed behind his hand as he watched his cousin race after the boy through his fingers. The laughter beside him was just beginning to ebb and he rolled his eyes as he looked down at the last member of his team.

"It really doesn't help when you encourage them."

Yotaro straitened and took in deep, deliberate breaths as he calmed his amusement. "Yeah, I know. But it if I interfered it wouldn't be nearly as entertaining."

Kyo returned his gaze forward as he resisted the urge to sigh once more. He really should have thought this whole taking a team thing out more. Oh well. No use moaning about it.

A soft rustle reached Kyo's ears and he stiffened ever so slightly as he attempted to make out where the sound came from. It didn't sound like any of his charges' clothes but it was to soft to be leaves. His eyes narrowed. It seemed that someone else was traveling this road with them. Well so long as they didn't involve his team in any of their affairs it didn't bother him any.

"I-ta-chiiiii!" Hikari said as she tried to pick up her pace even more. Very annoyed that the older boy was ignoring her. "Why aren't you listening to me?"

"You're annoying."

Kyo's eyes widened in surprise and fear as he noticed the sun glint off a thin wire that stretched across the road. None of the kids seemed to notice though Itachi's training seemed to unconsciously take over as he gingerly stepped over what could only be the trigger to a trap. Hikari on the other hand had no training that was bred into her body. That being the case it was no real surprise that she was about to run right into it.

"Hikari! Stop!" Kyo said as he tried to cover the great distance between him and his cousin in a very short amount of time.

Hikari glanced over her shoulder as she ran; confusion written on her face. Without noticing where she was stepping Hikari's foot caught hold of the wire triggering the trap. All three boys stood in stunned terror as a large rotted tree fell from somewhere above while a hail storm of kunai struck the area where Hikari's head was.

"HIKARI!" they all shouted at once as they raced towards her, each fearing the worst.

Yotaro couldn't believe his eyes as he looked down at the figure of his only female teammate. He just didn't understand it. It was completely impossible.

Tears filled Kyo's eyes as they took in the form of his cousin lying on the ground beneath the large tree. Kunai where embedded every where. There was just no way that this could have happened.

Itachi's eye twitched. Of all people. He should have known something like this would happen to her. She had tripped over the wire. She tripped over the wire and landed in a ditch. The tree didn't even touch her and all of the kunai had hit the trunk as it fell. That stupid girl wasn't even touched!

"Um, hello?" Hikari said. "Will somebody help me? My hair is stuck in the branches and I can't get out. Also, there's a kunai very close to my side and it feels weird. Could somebody pull it out?"

"Hikari," Yotaro said. "You are probably the luckiest person in the world."

"Or the stupidest," Itachi said as he pulled a kunai from the tree's bark and used it to unceremoniously slice through her long white hair.

Hikari stared aghast as the ghostly pale locks floated down around her, most of it still caught in the branches of the tree. Her eyes where shadowed and dark as they fixed on Itachi causing the Uchiha to feel just the slightest bit uncomfortable.

Not wanting to be caught in the cross fire Yotaro and Kyo both inched backwards in an attempt to make it to safety before the girl exploded.

"ITACHI YOU JERK! YOU CUT OFF MY HAIR!"

Itachi raised an eyebrow. "You would rather remain where you where?"

"Hell yeah I would! I could have gotten out eventually but NO! YOU HAD TO CUT OFF MY HAIR!" Hikari grasped the handle of the kunai that was pinning her clothes to the tree and jumped quickly to her feet the blade held high. "DIE YOU SON OF A MONKEY!"

"You must be joking…" Itachi said.

"Um, Itachi," Yotaro said quietly from the tree line. "As your best friend I suggest you take my advice and run."

Itachi sighed. "I hate you all."

"DON'T YOU RUN AWAY!" Hikari said as Itachi vanished. "I'M NOT THROUGH WITH YOU YET!"

Up in the trees Itachi allowed himself just the slightest shudder. That girl was terrifying when she was angry. Confusion crossed his face as another thought entered his mind at the sound of Hikari's primal howl of rage.

Why in the world did those guys like to pick on her? And how the hell did they get away with it?

"ITACHI! When I find you you're DEAD!"

End Chapter Ten

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Kaliea: An interesting end to a chapter that will lead up to something important (to me anyway) in the next chapter. Please review!

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Review Answers:

lilaznangel5543: Let's see…Itachi is seven, almost eight, so Sasuke would be almost two since his birthday is in the summer.

Rynx- Too- Genki: There is probably no one that Itachi cares more about then his little brother right now. Later some other people will be added but for now it's only Sasuke.

Danny-171984: Yeah, his cousin is another one of those characters that you just hate. A lot like Makoto. Like I said above there isn't anything Itachi wouldn't do for Sasuke which is where he gains is strength. Every thing he does he does for his brother's sake. Thanks for the review!

Crunchers: I'll do my best.

Suki dah Turdle: Of course! Tenten is a big part of her brothers life and Yotaro is a big part of the story.

Tears like Crystals: Hikari's one of those characters that tends to attract a lot of attention. Especially the unwanted kind.

freedome fighter: I will try to update often but now that my laptop is dead it will probably take a while.

Jettboard: I'm glad you like it so much! I hope you keep reading!

White Alchemist Taya: Yep. That's pretty much how it goes. Except Yotaro tends to participate quite a bit more.

So-kun: Well…this cannon Itachi is learning it. It will show later in the story but my vision of Itachi in the cannon story is quite different then most peoples'.

mistress of mist: Yes. Sadly it does. However, unlike Sakura Hikari doesn't dwell on it for quite so long. She's to absentminded to let something bother her for to long.

Dearie: Actually I wrote it right. See Hikari was facing Itachi when he appeared behind her. While he was talking to his cousin she would have turned around to face Itachi's back and try to look around him which is when he would have pushed her further behind him. It's complicated and I didn't write it out like that but it was implied. Thanks for the review!

grim reaper sakura: Thank-you. And don't worry. I know all about late updates. Trust me.

Dragon Man 180: I would except that this is a cannon story so if anyone where to babysit Naruto it would probably be to drown him. Well, not Kairi, but anyone else.

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Kaliea: Thanks so much for all of the reviews you sent! I love reading them. Oh yeah. Before I forget: **Watashi wa Ichiban desu yo!** Means: **I'm number one! **Please keep reviewing and until next time, ja ne! 


	11. Chapter 11

**Dark and Light:** The Story of Itachi and Hikari

Chapter Eleven

Hikari grumbled angrily as she sat on the bank of a small lake attempting to straiten out her short choppy hair with her kunai. Hot tears glistened in her eyes and she had to pause every few minutes to scrub them from her face.

She positioned the knife again over a bit of hair but one of her few escaped tears had slid from her cheek and landed on her mirror causing the ripples to blur her image. In her moment of distraction Hikari didn't notice that her kunai had slid up and inch before it was too late. An inch and a half of soft white hair came away in her hand.

"That's it! I quit!" Hikari hurtled the kunai angrily at a tree as her tears finally began to fall. "My hair wants to stay looking stupid? Fine! It can be stupid for all I care! So what if people make fun of me more? It's not my fault…is it?"

Her rage quickly subsided to confusion as she sniffed back her tears. Slowly she leaned over the side of the bank to look into the now still stream. "It's not my fault that I'm stupid right?"

"Hn."

Hikari jumped in surprise and spun to face the source of the noise. "I-Itachi!" She hiccupped slightly and turned away to scrub off the remaining bits of her tears. "What? Come to cut off the rest of my hair?"

Itachi rolled his eyes and pulled Hikari's kunai from the tree bark before walking over to sit behind her. "Hold still."

"What are you doing?"

"Don't move."

Hikari shrieked when she felt Itachi reach out and touch her hair and she wasted no time in trying to get away from him.

"Nooo! I don't want you to cut off the rest of my hair! I wanna keep it!"

"Be quiet." Itachi glared and grasped her shoulders tightly. "Do not make me resort to ninjutsu."

Hikari wailed dramatically but she sat still as Itachi used the kunai to deface her hair even more. She could feel it being sliced away. Every inch. And he just kept cutting! There was no end! He was going to make her bald! There was no other explanation! This was probably his twisted idea of revenge for having to be on her team!

(Nooooo!) Inner Hikari said as she grasped her steadily shortening hair. (I can't be bald! My beautiful haaiirrrr!)

"Done."

Hikari cried out in relief as she flung herself away from the hair slicing madman. Quickly she lunged at the edge of the bank where she looked over into the water.

"Aaaahhhh! What have you done! It's-it's….actually…it looks pretty okay…"

Hikari turned her head from side to side as she fingered her new layered bob gently. Her new hair cut was much shorter then her old, nearly waist length style, but it was very cute. It framed her face nicely and brushed ever so slightly against her neck as she moved her head.

"Hey," Hikari said as she continued to study her hair. "How'd you learn that? Are you a secret hair cutter? Do you work as both a hair person and a ninja? Wow! Who knew? I wonder how much you get paid. It must be a lot if you can do something cute like this. Do other girls come to get you to do their hair? That's probably why you're so popular. Do you cut your mom's hair? I bet you do, it would be easier then having to pay to go to a real hair cutter. Not that you're not a real hair cutter! You must be if you can cut hair this good. You know it took me my whole life to grow my hair that long. I did get it trimmed every now and then cause mom said that she didn't want it to get unhealthy. That's probably why you started cutting your mom's hair, huh? You do really good you know. Maybe I can ask my mom if you can be my hair cutter from now on. What to you think?"

Hikari turned to face Itachi, a wide smile on her face but her happiness quickly turned into confusion.

"Itachi? Where did you go?"

XXXXXXXXXXX

Itachi was upset. To hell with that, he was totally ticked off. And what was worse is that he couldn't get rid of the offending object of his anger. Which was, for once, not his ditzy teammate. Not that he could ever get this mad at her seeing as she wasn't worth it. She was just a passing annoyance. No. What made him so angry was the very, very, **_very_** slight red heat that he had felt tinge the tops of his cheeks when he heard that girl praise him so highly for fixing her hair.

It wasn't that great. It was just a dumb hair cut. But no. She had to go turn it into this big thing and get him to run off in this heat. Because that was what it was. The heat. That was what made his cheeks warm. It had absolutely nothing to do with the absolutely adorable way that her eyes had lit up when she saw her hair. Because it wasn't adorable, dang it! It was appalling! He couldn't stand how terrible she looked. That's why he left. It had nothing to do with emotions. Nothing at all.

So why was his face still hot?

Itachi glared at the rippled reflection in the river a few meters away from the camp on the opposite side of the platinum haired idiot. Even in the distorted image he could see that his cheeks where _pink_. He scowled and angrily fell from a squat to sit flat on the ground. Only girls wore pink. Even if it was just from the heat.

"Oi, Itachi."

Itachi's scowl fell from his face and he tilted his head ever-so slightly to the left in acknowledgement of his teammate as Yotaro sat next to him; running his hand through his already messy brown hair.

Yotaro knew what had happened between Hikari and Itachi since he was not so subtly spying from a bush while Itachi fixed her hair; succeeding for once in hiding the laughter that always seemed to want to break from his lips. This means of course that he saw the flush of Itachi's cheeks at Hikari's praise as well as witnessed the Uchiha prodigy flee in what seemed thinly controlled embarrassment.

Not that he would tease his friend about it. Oh no. Yotaro had more sense then that. Much more. In fact the idea never crossed his mind. Okay maybe once. Twice. Alright so he came to tease his friend. So what? Nobody's perfect.

"You blushed."

Itachi jerked his head around to glare at Yotaro.

"You spied."

"Hell yeah I did. It was hilarious too."

Itachi's eye twitched. "Not very noble of you. What would little Tenten think."

"That her onii-chan is a better shinobi then the famous Uchiha Itachi."

Itachi suppressed a growl and Yotaro held up his hands in a truce.

"Hey, it's not my fault you where to into Hikari to notice I was there."

So much for a truce.

"If you ever mention something of this ever again. I will not hesitate to kill you."

"Nope," Yotaro said. "Wouldn't dream of it."

Itachi turned back to the river and ignored Yotaro's presence. Sensing that their fun-filled conversation had ended Yotaro stood and gently patted the dust from the seat of his pants. He had taken several steps back towards camp before his mischievous smirk returned and Yotaro glanced back at Itachi.

"Just wait till I tell Kyo-sensei that the stone cold Itachi blushed about his little cousin."

Yotaro's laughter rang through the trees even after he was long out of range of the kunai Itachi had flung in his direction.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Camp that night was silent as team four ate their meals from their survival kits. Unwilling to light a fire incase they where to alert potential enemies. Namely whoever it was that had laid that trap in the first place. However from time to time the heavy silence would be quickly broken by a soft snigger from Yotaro who seemed to find glancing from Itachi to Hikari and back very amusing for some reason beyond said Hikari's understanding. All she knew was that every time Yotaro snickered Itachi's eye twitched and the grip on his chopsticks tightened dangerously.

Kyo, who wasn't quite so oblivious as to the goings on with his students as some might be (coughhikaricough), found the antics of his three charges to be more then just a bit amusing. He just managed to hide it well behind a long perfected mask of indifference.

Finally when she could take the tension no more Hikari stood and tossed her mess kit to Yotaro who had dish duty that night. Yotaro fumbled with the small collection of plates while still managing to hold onto his own. He shot Hikari a slightly exasperated look and she grinned at him apologetically.

"Sorry Yotaro-kun. I didn't mean to throw it so funny."

"As if a dobe like you could do any better."

"What was that Itachi-baka?" Hikari demanded as she swung on the Uchiha heir.

"Hn."

Hikari's eye twitched and she angrily flexed her fingers at her sides.

"Hikari," Kyo said, stepping in to prevent any potential harm from coming to his second oldest charge.

Hikari instantly relaxed and skipped over to where her cousin sat. "Yeees, Kyo-nii-chan?"

"Why don't you go get some water from the river so that we can get everything cleaned up and get to bed."

Hikari pouted. "Do I have too? I don't wanna."

Itachi scoffed. "You are such a child."

Hikari spared half a second from her cousin so that she could shoot Itachi one of her finest glares before she returned her attention to where it could do the best damage…er…persuasion. Unfortunately, as soon as she was turned back to face Kyo she saw that look. The look. The one that always let her know that the bluette meant business.

Hikari sighed. "Okaaaay. I'll go."

Kyo nodded in satisfaction and then proceeded to ignore Hikari as she fetched the water bucked as loudly as she could. She may have to perform the chore but there was no way she was going to let the boys get out of knowing how much she really hated the idea.

Once the bucket being knocked loudly against trees could no longer be heard the three boys still at camp gave a collective sigh. Well, Itachi breathing in slightly deeper then normal while the other two sighed loudly in unison.

"Will she ever grow up?" Kyo thought aloud as he ate his remaining dinner and passed the now empty plate to Yotaro.

"Well," Yotaro said. "If she ever does grow up she just wouldn't be Hikari anymore."

"Oh the horror," Itachi said in monotone.

Yotaro laughed and Kyo smirked at the Uchiha boy. If only he knew what he was meant for later. Or rather: who. He would probably run around screaming before trying to take his own life. Which would actually be kind of funny; except for the taking of his own life part.

Itachi didn't even give his companions the satisfaction of a scowl before he tossed his plate at Yotaro and took off in then direction of the small lake; his hands shoved deep into his pockets as he walked.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Hikari pouted all of the way to the river; completely put out that it was her job to get water. That meant, of course, that she would have to carry it all the way back to camp. Her pout deepened as she thought of just how soar her arms would feel. Finally reaching the bank of the river Hikari more then willingly dropped the bucket to the forest floor; intent on taking as long as she could with the water without having Kyo-nii-chan send one of the boys to get her.

She had just smoothed out her skirt and sat on the river bank when a sudden splash down the river made her leap clumsily to her feet, kunai in hand. Her sharp green eyes scanned the underbrush thoroughly before she allowed herself to relax. Thinking it to have just been an animal Hikari replaced her kunai and sat back down on the river bank.

Hikari stifled a yawn as she watched the river flow just below her feet and she smiled at the tranquility. A smile that quickly dropped to fear as a shadowy reflection dropped from the rippled trees in the water's picture. Hikari jerked around. Her right hand fumbled in her pack looking for a kunai but before she had the chance to grab one a dark hand closed around her throat allowing only one shrill scream to exit before her eyes grew fuzzy and everything fell into black.

End chapter Eleven

Kaliea: So here I was feeling like crap from being sick and I thought: 'Okay, since I'm always to busy every other time I sit down to write I'll just do it now.' So I did. I hope this chapter was worth the long wait. The next chapter of HofH will be out soon to. I'm just having some problems writing it because something happens that I really don't want to write. Anywho, please tell me what you think and hopefully the next chapter will be out soon.

Review Answers:

Suki dah Turdle: Me too. The poor guy has no idea just how to handle this girl. She is so unpredicatable.

Rynx- Too- Genki: I'm glad that you like the chapter and I hope that my long space between updates hasn't driven you away. If it has: ToT Nooo! Please come back! Lol, anyway. Thanks for the review.

Crunchers: I'm sorry that wasn't very fast. I'll try to do better next time.

So-kun: Because before she met Itachi she never stood up for herself. She just thought that since she couldn't do anything about the beatings and teasing that she would just have to live with it. Itachi is the one who made her the way she is now. Poor guy.

grim reaper sakura: Little Hikari is filled with unexpected surprises. She tends to do and have lot's of things that people wouldn't ever understand.

lilaznangel5543: Kenta will get on a lot of people's nerves before he is finally dispatched.

YamiKitsuneKami: I want one too, which is why I put it in. Since Hikari is based off of me I figured what the heck. I'll give her things that I wish I could have. Like long white hair.

Jettboard: Took my time again. I'm really sorry about that. Like I told Crunchers! I'll try to do better next time

White Alchemist Taya: More weird amusement to come too. Don't you just love crazy authors?

Dragon Man 180: Well, I don't know if I'll do a sequel to this story. Maybe, but I'm not sure. I may just write it all the way to the end. Of course that would be like, 1000 chapters or something. Maybe I will break it up a bit.

BloodRuby: I'm glad that you love it. I love it too. It's my favorite so far.

Tears like Crystals

I'm glad you liked it! I hope you liked this chapter as much as the last.

Danny-171984: Yeah, Hikari is one of a kind. Well, two of a kind once Naruto grows up. Of course she is one of his inspirations to be sure. Which is my reason for him being so in love with Sakura, because he admires her sister so much. There are other reasons too but that's the main one.

Bailin: Sorry! I didn't mean to confuse you. This is actually a cannon story completely unconnected with Holding out for a Hero. In this story everything is the way it is in the manga up until Sakura and Naruto team up with Sai to go find Sasuke. At that point it will go original. But everything up in there will go according to cannon as closely as it can with my writing events that happen to Itachi.

Kaliea: Well I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Hopefully more will follow soon, but no promises. I love to hear from you all! HINT! HINT! HINT! Lol. Well if you have any questions just review and I'll answer them as best I can. Till next time, ja ne!


	12. Chapter 12

**Dark and Light:** The Story of Itachi and Hikari

* * *

Chapter Twelve 

When Itachi finally returned to camp it was to a concerned and irritated atmosphere. Yotaro and Kyo were both sitting together on a fallen log next to the tents the two boys had put up when they first made camp. It didn't take long for the Uchiha heir to determine that the concern was coming from Yotaro while the irritation was all Kyo.

Itachi raised his eyebrow slightly as he allowed his eyes to scan the camp for whatever it was that could have caused his sensei's irritation. It wasn't hard to figure out. He practically already knew the second he walked with in twenty feet of their small camp and didn't hear the obnoxious voice of Haruno Hikari. In short: she still wasn't back.

"I understand where you're coming from Yotaro, but you don't seem to know my little cousin as well as you think that you do. She's doing this on purpose. She wants me to send one of you to get her. It's her way of showing defiance." Kyo growled as he looked in the direction of the river. "And she is very good at it too."

"Yeah, but…She's never been gone this long before right? Usually she would have come back by now. And it's really not like her to just run off alone. Right?"

Itachi had to silently agree with his teammate. In all the time that he had known the Haruno brat she had never once been gone from sight during a mission, at least not this long, and even when she did leave they could always feel her close. That was something that Yotaro, with a few 'hn's from Itachi, had grilled into her when they first became a team. Never go anywhere that she can't be easily sensed. Especially not when there could be danger around.

"The idiot's dumb but even she isn't that stupid."

Yotaro jerked up in surprise, not having noticed the dark haired boy's return to camp. Kyo, however, had known that he had been there for quite a while.

"Sensei." Yotaro stood. "I'm going to look for her." He turned to Itachi with a slight questioning look.

Itachi looked away. "Hn."

Yotaro nodded. "We'll be back in a little bit, sensei."

Kyo nodded. "Alright. Tracking her will probably be good for your training anyhow."

Yotaro grinned slightly and headed off in the direction of the river; Itachi only a few steps behind.

Once the boys where out of sight Kyo dropped his irritated expression and frowned. Gently he massaged his chest with his palm. Something wasn't right. And it had something to do with Hikari.

Kyo chewed gently on the inside of his cheek for a moment as he thought. Whatever was threatening his cousin didn't seem to be to powerful and together the three of his students could probably handle it but still…

He stood and stretched out his back before leaping into the trees. It would probably be in his best interest to keep an eye on the three of them anyway. Just in case. And he had a feeling that 'just in case' was a huge probability.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Hikari made a small mewing sound as she began to awaken. Soft groans quickly followed consciousness as the pounding in her head caused her to curl up on herself. She buried her face in her arm in an attempt to escape the small sliver of light that seemed to penetrate her closed eyes and burn a bright painful red against her vision.

After a minute or so it finally occurred to the girl that the pain wasn't going to lessen anytime soon so she had better just suck it up and deal with it if she ever wanted to find out where the heck she was. With another groan Hikari pushed herself up with her small arms and squinted tightly to try and have as little light enter her pupils as possible.

Now, if anything good had ever come of her beatings from Makoto it would be that Haruno Hikari had become quite efficient at assessing and treating wounds with very limited materials. Granted the way she gained this experience probably wasn't the greatest way to learn, the fact was due to hands on dealing on far to many occasions to count, little Hikari had managed to become quite the expert on personal first aid.

Calling on these skills now Hikari managed to asses the damage done to her body and the way it most likely occurred. Judging by the slow, shallow breaths she was forced to take, the tenderness of her neck, and the fact that she had been awake for a few seconds when it happened, Hikari easily determined that her first injury was caused by strangling. Easy enough to fix. Thankfully this time it had been done by a hand and not a rope so she didn't have to worry about fixing up any bloody burns.

Next was the pounding in her head. Partially caused by the lack of oxygen to her brain it was only intensified by the creation of the slightly bloody bump on the back of her head. Looking around her dimly lit…cell…cave…? She wasn't really sure. Anyway, looking around she could see a small trickle of blood on the back wall that led halfway down to the small puddle where her head had been laying before she had awakened.

Okay, well, that was fairly easy too. The person that took her must have tossed her into the room and she hit her head on the wall. Nothing major. Just a dent on her, as Itachi would say, impossibly thick skull. She would survive.

Last was the sensitivity to light. Seeing as she was thrown against the wall hard enough to draw blood (which had lately become rather difficult as the girl's skin grew tougher) it was most likely that she had a minor concussion. That wasn't quite as easy to treat as the other injuries because it was internal. Nothing much she can do internally. She'd just have to wait it out and try not to make it worse. Of course, seeing how there was no way she was going to stay here without a fight, that was probably going to be impossible.

Deciding that now would be the time to treat her wounds, Hikari leaned back against the wall and reached up to her hair only to scowl as she recalled that her now sort white locks where no longer able to carry her nail file. She made a mental note to put her hair back up when she got out of here so that she could hold the file again. For now though she had to do her best to find something else that she could use to tear her shirt.

She grinned triumphantly and leapt to her feet when she saw that one of the stones in her wall was slightly broken. Of course, she had forgotten that she had a concussion. She had no sooner jumped to her feet when the room began to spin and her stomach lurched. Dropping to her knees Hikari promptly emptied what remained of dinner onto the stone floor beneath her.

After several long seconds Hikari managed to regain control of her stomach and she stopped. For nearly a minute more the young girl kneeled on all fours heaving for breath and trying to calm the spin of the room. When everything finally returned to normal Hikari eased herself onto her feet.

"Okay. Note to self," Hikari mumbled. "Don't ever do that again…"

Finally strait Hikari took ginger steps towards the wall and ran her right hand along the stone until a sharp prick met her middle finger and she jerked it away. A small bubble of blood rose to the surface of her skin and she grinned as she stuck the injured finger into her mouth. With her left hand Hikari fumbled with the loose stone until the little rock came clumsily away in her small palm.

"Woot!" She said. "Now to fix me up."

Taking the small rock back over to where she had been sitting before, Hikari slid gently down the wall and pulled her finger out of her mouth so that she could move her new tool to her dominant hand. Lifting her shirt a little Hikari slit the bottom about half-way up her stomach just enough so that she could rip the rest off. She sighed in irritation as her bare skin met the cool air of her prison. Of all the days not to wear an under t-shirt. Then again, how was she supposed to know that she would be kidnapped?

Hikari sighed again as she stretched the cloth and began to wind it gently around her head.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Do you see anything Itachi?" Yotaro said, his head buried up to his shoulders in brush as he searched for a clue of their lost teammate.

Itachi didn't say anything as he scanned the ground from the trees. When the two had first arrived at the river it was easy to tell that the Haruno girl was no where around. For one it was far too quiet. No where that Haruno Hikari inhabited could stay that quiet, and two, they found her water bucked abandoned halfway in the river. It looked like it had been knocked over or dropped in a hurry but there were no signs of a struggle. Not that that was surprising judging by Hikari's size and weight. She could barely take Yotaro in a fair fight. There was no way she could win against a full fledged shinobi even if she did cheat.

"It's been two hours." Yotaro said as he leapt into the trees to join his companion. "Who knows what could have happened to her by know."

The only reaction Itachi had for Yotaro's words was a slightly uneven intake of breath. Although for Itachi that spoke his concern in volumes.

"It would be just like that idiot to get her self kidnapped and hurt." Itachi's eyes narrowed. "Hokage-sama will be upset if we leave her to her stupidity."

"Only you can make concern sound like an insult, Itachi."

"Hn."

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Hikari gently massaged her temples as she lay flat on her back in her damp cell. She had been trying to think of a way to escape but so far the only thing she had managed to get was a headache. She sighed. It was times like this she actually wished Itachi was around. At least he was smart enough to come up with a good plan. Not like her. She was an idiot. Everyone said so.

Heaving a heavy sigh Hikari continued to stare at the ceiling. Not that it was getting her anywhere. After all no one just suddenly got ideas by staring at the ceiling.

Suddenly it hit her.

"Oh my gosh! I actually have an idea!"

Okay, so maybe you could suddenly get ideas by staring at the ceiling.

Focusing chakra into her feet, Hikari placed them against the wall. She was glad that Kyo had decided to show them this early. She was even gladder that she was able to master it so quickly.

Faster then Itachi even. Hikari snickered a bit but quickly pulled herself back to her task. She needed to have everything set by the time her guard-person-guy came back from were ever the heck he was. Come to think of it she hadn't seen him the whole time she had been awake. Maybe he was some sort of pervert person that only came when pretty girls were asleep.

Hikari's cheeks flushed. She could almost here Itachi's voice telling her that she had nothing to worry about if that were the case. She huffed. Well, someday he would totally change his mind. She would blow him completely away with her feminine charms. If only he wasn't such a jerk she may have done it before now. Yeah. That was why.

Shaking her head gently Hikari scowled at herself. Why was she always getting side tracked? What was she doing anyway? Oh yeah! She was climbing the wall! Wait, she was already at the ceiling. Hmmm. It seemed as though she was becoming better at multitasking…

Once Hikari plastered her body to the ceiling of her prison with her chakra she took in the deepest breath she had ever taken before. She held it for just a second before she let it out. In the form of the loudest, highest, shrillest scream anyone had ever heard.

XXXXXXXXXXX

His eye twitched. Gingerly Itachi lifted his hand to touch his fingers to his ear. For just a moment he had been sure that his ears had begun to bleed. After all, that sound had been so loud. And high. It must have been that idiot girl.

"Owie…" Yotaro moaned and gently rubbed his ears. "I…I think…I'm def…"

"If you can still hear yourself talk then you aren't def. Although I would be lying if I said I would not be jealous if you were."

"Oh come on Itachi. You don't hate her voice that bad."

Itachi glared at his companion.

Yotaro just sighed and rolled his eyes. He knew it would be impossible to get a real confession out of the other boy, and by now he was rather tired of trying. For now anyway. Tomorrow he would pick it up again. After he had a plan that he thought might work anyway.

"Sooo," Yotaro said. "Are we going to stand here all day? Or are we going to follow the scream?"

Itachi spared one eye to glance at his teammate before he reached into the pouch at his side. Yotaro didn't even blink as a wax sealed scroll was flung his way. Catching it silently the brown haired boy lifted it up to examine it. He raised his eye brow at Itachi.

"Why are you giving me the scroll? You were the one that was told to hold it until—Ooooh. I see." Yotaro smirked at Itachi and slid the scroll into his pouch. "You go ahead and save your girl then. I'll go find Kyo-sensei and get this delivered."

Itachi glared hard at Yotaro's back as the other boy waved and sent him an overly cheerful grin.

"Don't forget to gallantly accept the princess's rewarding kiss!"

Yotaro made sure that he was well out of the range of Itachi's kunai as he raced through the woods with a loud laugh as he focused on finding his absent teacher.

"Aho." Was all Itachi said before he turned his attention back to his current task. Find and save the idiot. And kill whoever it was that had spirited her away.

End Chapter Twelve

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Kaliea: Well that sucked. Hopefully the next chapter will be better but I am just playing this as I go. Anyway, soon we should have another glance at Kenta and after that the Chuunin exams arrive in Konoha. Will team four be allowed to participate? Only time will tell. But until then, what do you think?

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Review Answers: 

Dearie: Actually, I found that word while reading DBZ fics eons ago. And ever since I've always wanted to use it. I figured now was as good a time as ever.

switchblade-boarder: I'll do my best but my updates are crazy at best.

Kakashi-Chanu: I'm sorry. (rubs ears) If I knew that people were going to whine about it I would have posted earlier! Heehee, I'm just playing with you (pouts) don't be up set with me. Pleez? (puppy dog eyes)

Animealover: Hikari has a bit of a base on Naruto, but not very much. Like I've said a lot before (I'm not trying to sound mean either), she's quite largely based on myself. Only slightly more eccentric

xbakatare: I think all truly adorable events are at least a little dumb. That's what makes them so cute ;)

ultimate sasuke/sakura016: It's hard to say. If I had stuck to my outline we would already be in the normal time line, however, as it happens a lot in my writing, my story has taken a life of its own. I just write what it wants people to read.

Lee Totema: I'll do my best!

Suki dah Turdle: I love Yotaro. I think He and Kairi are my all time favorite original characters. Hikari and Kyo are close behind thought. Of course Kairi being one of my favorites makes the soon to be posted chapter of HOFH even worse. Yes, that is a hint.

Hiei-Touya-icedemon: Well, they already do like each other. They're both just stubborn idiots.

mild spoiler

And I love Yotaro too. I don't want him to die either!

Rynx- Too- Genki: I hope he's still in character though. 'I'm-a-jerk-with-a-stick-up-my-butt' characters are the hardest to write.

CorvusCaminus: Thank you very much! I love to hear stuff like that! I try to make the characters act according to how I think they would react in situations such as the ones I put them in and under the circumstances in which they are molded. I actually think that I do a fair job of it too.

Danny-171984: You're such a sweet heart. And yes, I'm fine. I just had…well…life going on I guess. Anyway, thanks for your review and I hope that you enjoyed this chapter as well. Talk to ya soon!

Tears like Crystals: Well…she HAD long hair. Now it's short. Reeaally short. Like up to the bottoms of her ears. Stupid Itachi. Anywho, thanks for reviewing!

Dragon Man 180: You and Danny-171984 sure do think alike in your assessment of the bad guys' fates. Makes me wonder it the two of you know each other…hm…Anyway, I hope you liked the chapter!

T34rSoFBlOoD: Sorry! I know how you feel about that cause believe it or not I want to know what happens too. Because I have no idea at all!

lilaznangel5543: Yeah, He's a bit of a dork. But a loveable dork at least.

White Alchemist Taya: Thank-you! I'll do my best.

sweetangel823: I'm glad you enjoy it :)

AmexTenshi: Yeah, little Hikari-chan has it fairly bad in this story. People don't seem to like things working out for her. I think it has something to do with her being the main character…Or me being a sadist. Ether or I guess.

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Kaliea: Well thank-you all for your support and reviews. I hope that you will all continue to enjoy my story. Let me know if there is anything that you don't understand and I'll try to explain it. Love you all! Cheers! 


	13. Chapter 13

**Dark and Light:** The Story of Itachi and Hikari

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Chapter Thirteen

The world was spinning. Really, really fast. Was that a purple light over there? For just a second Hikari lifted her hand in an attempt to touch the swirling illusion; until she felt her body begin to slip. Snapping back to an almost reality, the platinum haired Haruno gasped and reattached her hand to the ceiling as quickly as she could. She did not fancy falling from this height. Not that it was that far, but still, she did have a concussion. A fact she had once again forgotten as she had begun to orchestrate her plan.

Gently she rested her spinning head against the ceiling in an attempt to make the world stay still. Slowly she breathed in and out as she stretched her sense of hearing in order to make out any sounds heading in her direction. It was several tense seconds before the soft sound of a frantic tapping reached her ears. It was quickly accompanied by the hushed rasp of angry voices.

"It was your job to watch her! What are we going to do if he actually did something to her?"

"I didn't even know that Harakito was back!"

Hikari let out a half smile of irony. It seemed that there was some sort of pervert pefidile, or whatever they're called; she had thought as much.

The bars to her cage rattled and Hikari readied herself. They were almost in position. Now all that she had to do was release her chakra and knock them out. That would, of course, mean falling from her perch on the ceiling and giving to symmetrical blows to their heads. Once again she had forgotten one important detail. She had a concussion.

Hikari let out an inward sigh and shrugged. Oh well. No turning back now…Her eyes narrowed as the door swung open and the two men ran inside.

"Judai! She ain't here!"

"Harakito musta taken her somewere! Nashu-sama is gonna have our heads…"

"Me first."

The two men jerked their heads up at the sudden voice. Their surprised yells were cut off at a choke as a size six child's sandal was shoved into each of their faces.

Colors swam in Hikari's vision as she felt herself tilt backwards. Bile rose in her throat and a sickly yellow acid spilled from her lips before the blackness of unconsciousness claimed her once more.

XXXXXXXXXX

The sun had sunk below the tree-line casting a long black shadow over the forest floor as Itachi slinked through the foliage in an attempt to not make a sound. It had only been a few minutes since he had heard Hikari's voice, but the eerie silence that followed was enough to make it feel like hours. His soft shallow breaths sounded explosive to his sensitive ears as Itachi stretched his senses to their limit in an attempt to pick up even the slightest sign of life in the steadily darkening woods.

The hammering sound of a wood pecker caused Itachi's body to freeze and his fingers to just barely twitch towards his kunai holster. Scolding himself mentally for letting his nerves get the best of him he forced his body to relax. His forced relaxation, however, was short lived as the sound of a snapping branch reached his ears. In nearly no time at all Itachi whirled around and faced his assailant, kunai drawn and at the ready.

"Nice try boy."

Itachi tried to spin around to face the source of the voice but before he had the chance a sharp pain hit the base of his neck and he fell limply to the forest floor.

"But you're far too young to think you stand a chance against me."

XXXXXXXXXXX

Yotaro was lost. Figuratively speaking; seeing as he was currently standing in the middle of his teams' camp site. The only thing was that his sensei, whom he had assumed was waiting here for his students' return, was no where to be found. Yotaro scowled and crossed his arms in annoyance.

"I guess it's true what they say about ass-u-me-ing."

He sighed as his eyes wandered the camp site once again. He really had no idea what to do about finding Kyo; he didn't even know where to start looking. If only there was a way to get his sensei to come to him…

A light flipped on in Yotaro's mind. Kyo was always so keenly aware of where his students were. If they showed even the slightest hint of their being in trouble then he was there. Like the time that they were cleaning the river and Itachi had cut his foot on a hidden piece of glass. The boy hadn't shown any outward signs of it but there had been a slight spike in his chakra that Kyo had caught almost as it was happening. So taking that as evidence maybe if he spiked his chakra in a way that signaled danger…

The only problem was he had no idea how to do that. The only one in their little group that had that sort of chakra control was Hikari and she was currently unavailable. He doubted that putting himself in trouble would do it either. If anything it would only get him hurt for real.

Yotaro sighed. He was quickly running out of ideas. Maybe if he got lucky he would get attacked by something…

His head suddenly shot up in alarm and he just barely managed to dodge as a kunai came streaking from the trees above him. He grunted as he landed hard in the dirt. He turned the fall into a shoulder roll and came up in a defensive crouch, his dark brown eyes searching the area swiftly. His heart was pounding and his chakra levels spiked as he pushed his senses to the max.

He nearly groaned at the irony. He hadn't been serious. Honestly, the last thing that he needed was to be in a fight. He still had a scroll to deliver.

Three more kunai were launched from at once from different areas and Yotaro had a hard time dodging them all. Of all the times to get separated from his team this was probably the worst. The thought was reaffirmed when an unseen kunai struck his lower calf and he went down with a cry. It had dug deep into the tissue but had just fallen short of the bone. Hot blood ran down his leg and into the dirt, turning it a mucky reddish-brown as more and more of his life fluid slid away from his body.

"Now would be a good time to show up sensei!"

Another kunai flew from the trees and Yotaro's eyes scrunched up as it headed for him. However the strike never came as he felt his body being quickly jerked out of the line of fire. Surprise and fear filled the boy's face as his hands began to claw at the hands of his rescuer.

"Calm down Yotaro. You're alright."

Yotaro's head jerked around at the voice; his eyes wide. "Sensei! What—how-?"

"Say still. I'll tell you when we're clear."

Yotaro nodded and held tightly to his sensei's arm in order to assure himself that he wouldn't fall. He wasn't used to being carried around.

After what seemed ages to the young boy, Kyo fell from the trees and landed soft-footed on the floor of a small clearing next to a cave entrance.

"Go in. I'll be right behind you."

Confused, Yotaro nodded and walked towards the cave. As he walked into the natural room he unconsciously reached up and let his fingertips brush against the stone lip of the entrance above his head. It was really low. Not long after he had somewhat settled in the dim and damp little area Kyo ducked through the mouth, his damp blue hair pulled back into a ponytail at the nape of his neck.

"What was that about Kyo-sensei?" Yotaro asked as his fingers absently played in the cave dust.

Kyo glanced at the boy once before he stripped off his soaked shirt and began to wring out the water. Slightly surprised Yotaro looked down at his own shirt that was soaked through in the areas that had been in contact with his teacher's clothes.

"It seems that our mission has been placed under such strict security that even Hokage-sama is unaware of its true involvements at their fullest." Kyo's voice was hard and cold as his eyes stared blankly at the cave wall. "The scroll that we were given to deliver to Kanaro-sama is actually an intelligence report that was gathered via free-lance shinobi from the wave country in regards to a secret rebellion that has applied to the Daimyo of Hi no Kuni for aid in their attempt to reform the government of the Lightning country."

Yotaro's eyes were wide as he stared at his sensei in disbelief. "But if they were trying to over throw the Daimyo of Kaminari then the Hidden Cloud village would be put under a severe threat. If such a rebellion exists why didn't the Raikage snuff it out?"

"He did." Kyo's face was grave as he replaced his shirt and turned to face his eldest student. "However the report that we carry contains several vital holes in the defenses of the Lightning Country. Defenses that, if utilized correctly, could be the total downfall of Kaminari as one of the Five Great Nations."

"Which would reduce the value of Kumogakure ninjas and would lead to a complete break up of the village as they try to keep it alive; undermining the Raikage would happen to be sure. Eliminating one of the five shadows." Yotaro finished, his face thoughtful. "In every way it seems a win for Konoha and the Fire Nation. I suppose that is why we are being targeted. But if the mission is so crucial then why rank it low? Wouldn't this usually rank as a 'B' or even 'A' class?"

Kyo sighed again. "In a case such as this, with the life of our village at stake, this mission would usually be ranked as an 'S' class mission and left in the hands of an 'A' team of ANBU. As it is we are already to far from the village to go back, but the situation is to dangerous to leave in the hands of children." A sharp curse left Kyo's lips as his fist struck the cave wall. "I should never have given the scroll to Itachi."

"Uh…actually sensei…That's why I came back to camp. Itachi and I heard Hikari scream and we thought she might be in trouble." Yotaro slowly opened his carrying pouch and sheepishly extracted the wax sealed scroll. "Itachi gave me the scroll to give to you so he could help her. I guess I should have mentioned it before now but…well…"

Kyo nearly took Yotaro's hand off as he snatched the scroll from the boy. His fingers gently felt the red wax and his shoulders relaxed as he noted it was still properly sealed. Reaching out with his left hand Kyo patted Yotaro on his dark brown hair as his other hand slid the scroll into one of his vest pockets.

"Well done Yotaro. You just saved me a lot of stress and trouble."

"What do we do now? If we have real ninjas after us then it's most likely that Itachi and Hikari were captured. What are they going to do to them when they find out that neither of them has the scroll?"

"Probably use them as bargaining chips. Two kids for one scroll. Or one kid slightly damaged. I doubt that they'll give up Itachi once they realize who he is. The Cloud village had been after Konoha's blood-line limits for eons."

"We can't just leave them here! They're our teammates! We can't just abandon them!"

Kyo placed a gentle hand on Yotaro's shoulder as he knelt down to the boy's level. "Calm down Yotaro. We won't leave them. I have a plan."

Yotaro's breathing slowed to a manageable level and he nodded at his sensei. "O-okay. How can I help?"

"You are about to break the record time of learning a new jutsu."

Yotaro blinked. "Huh?"

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Renji scowled at the unconscious bodies of his companions as he unceremoniously dumped his captive on the stone floor of the cave-turned-cell.

"Idiots. The both of you. How you ever made it as hunter nins will forever elude my understanding." Kicking the two men hard he waited until they groaned to speak again. "Get up! Nashu-sama is on his way! The last thing I need is for you two morons to be lying around after getting bested by a brat with brain damage."

"Hey Ren, don't kick so hard. That kid packs a punch."

"Daiku, she's a seven-year-old girl for Shodaime's sake!"

"It weren't our fault Ren! She was stuck ta the ceiling!"

"A genin would see though that Basho! And stop calling me Ren! As your superior you will address me as Renji-sempai."

"H-hai sempai!"

Renji nodded as the two scampered to their feet. "Hurry up and get to the conference hall. Nashu-sama will be here any minute."

"Yes sir!"

Renji didn't even wait to watch as the two men disappeared from sight. Instead he kept his eyes focused on the two kids lying unconscious on the floor. He sighed and slid the heavy iron bars closed.

"Sorry kids. I don't have anything against you, but the enemy is the enemy. No matter what age they are."

Once the sound of Renji's footsteps faded Itachi's eyes shot open.

"That doesn't mean we are any less good at what we do." Itachi's voice was barely a whisper as he smirked at the bars keeping him confined. Gently he reached over and prodded the sickly pale Haruno girl. "Hikari."

Hikari moaned and shifted only just on the hard stone floor. For a moment Itachi thought that she wasn't going to wake but slowly her eyelids fluttered and her dark green eyes flashed in the near darkness. Itachi frowned at the size of her pupils and he quickly shifted out of the way as she rolled to her side and heaved. Another puddle of foul yellow liquid hit the floor before it was swiftly followed by a gut wrenching round of dry heaves.

Feeling _slightly_ sympathetic (anyone would after seeing someone in such pain!) Itachi reached over and rubbed Hikari gently on the back. Tears laced the lower lids of her eyes but from what he could tell it was caused by the repeated amount of retching. He really doubted that she was really aware of what was happening.

"Hikari. Who am I?"

The only response he received was a long, blank stare.

"Who are you?"

Nothing.

"As I thought. A concussion." Itachi glared at the wall and cursed. How was he supposed to escape with her now? Was getting himself caught going to add up to nothing after all?

His thoughts were interrupted by a sudden plunge into darkness as the florescent lights that lined the cavern walls were turned off. It must be dark outside. Itachi absently wondered how late it was.

His thoughts were once again redirected as he felt Hikari slump against his shoulder. A slight flicker of panic swept though his body and he quickly prodded her again in order to ensure that she stayed awake. Her concussion was fairly mild but if she were to fall asleep now there was always the chance that she wouldn't wake up again.

His face hardened in the darkness and Itachi wrapped his arms around the limp girl's waist as he groped backwards for the cave wall. Escape could wait. For now he had to take care of Hikari. After all, Kyo, Yotaro, and Hokage-sama would have his head if he let the idiot die now. It wouldn't even matter that it was her fault in the first place.

With that thought lodged firmly in his mind Itachi set himself up for a sleepless night of prodding Hikari...as well as an annoyingly pointless amount of verbal communication.

Stupid girl.

"You'd better be able to help me tomorrow. Otherwise I doubt this will be worth it." His words were harsh but deep inside he knew he didn't mean it. Well, mostly anyway.

End Chapter Thirteen

* * *

Kaliea: Oh. My. Gosh. That was soo hard to write! I had to pull out everything and anything I could just to get around my WB. I hope that it turned out alright for you all. Let me know either way!

* * *

Review Answers:

T34rSoFBlOoD: Yeah, that was defiantly something that Hikari would do…

Luna.the.betrayed.ninja: Thank-you!

CorvusCaminus: I love Yotaro and Itachi's friendship. I think it is one of the best ones I have ever made. And I've made quite a few.

ShinRa Associate: Never! If I start something then I intend to finish. It may take me four years but it will get done. No matter what!

lilaznangel5543: Yeah, Yotaro and Itachi have some pretty cool lines (Blushes at my round about way of bragging.)

ultimate sasuke/sakura016: Absolutely! This story is following the cannon line so everything that happens in the manga (up to a certain undisclosed point) will be happening in my story. We just get another point of view.

Sweetangel: No clue. I'll work on that…ehehe…

Kakashi-Chanu: I'm glad you liked it!

Flaminina: He is a sweet guy. He's just been held in the shadow of his clan's expectations for far to long.

Animealover: I'm glad. I'll try but I can't promise anything.

Tears like Crystals: Isn't kidnapping fun? It makes for good plot development at least.

sweetangel823: I'll try my best.

Hiei-Touya-icedemon: As long as you enjoy the picture you give my characters that's all

I ask. I really don't care if you follow my description. That's just the way I see them. Thanks for the review!

Danny-171984: Not lacking in any self confidance I see ;P I hope you liked the chapter. It is a bit longer then the last I think. I wanted to make it longer but I felt it was pretty complete as it is. I will try to get my next one out quicker but as always, no promises.

Riiiceballe: Thanks for the cookies! I'll treasure them always…well…at least until I eat them…

grim reaper sakura: I'm glad that you don't get confused! I guess that means I'm getting better in my writing!

X-treme67: I try :)

Dragon Man 180: Na, just the only ones who would respond like that.

White Alchemist Taya: Well, that's Hikari for you. If anyone could do it, it would be her.

Rynx- Too- Genki: Kidnappers. And they will be making a longer appearance later on.

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Kaliea: Wow! Thanks so much for all of the reviews! I love getting them. Every writer is encouraged by positive feed-back after all! Thanks again, and until next time, Ja ne! 


	14. Chapter 14

**Dark and Light:** The Story of Itachi and Hikari

Chapter Fourteen

The night was long, and more then once Itachi felt his eyelids begin to drift downwards. He cursed under his breath and pulled the shivering Haruno girl closer, pinching her lightly to be sure that she wasn't asleep either. Hikari whimpered slightly at the contact but other then that showed no response. It was a bit disturbing to hear her quiet for a change.

Itachi's tired eyes wandered the darkness in an attempt to entertain him self but he found nothing there that would tide him over. In fact, the only thing in this whole room that held any flicker of potential interest was Hikari and her conversation was far from stimulating.

He sighed just barely and shifted against the wall to get more comfortable.

"I am sorry about your hair."

He got no response so he pressed on, sure that she wasn't comprehending any of his words.

"I didn't think when I cut it. It was just the first thing that came to my mind. I really wish that I hadn't." He scowled. "No not because I am afraid of you. I…your hair was….tolerable like that. Perhaps not completely practical but…" He looked away, a slight flush hidden in the darkness. "It…suited you."

He scowled down at the girl and poked her in the arm. "I never said anything about you being cute, idiot. I don't know where you get these fool ideas. Hn, it seems like those are the only things that ever enter your empty head. Foolish ideas. They always get you in trouble. And of course I have to come and save you."

He poked her again. "I'm not your knight either! Where do you come up with such idiocies? I only save you because you are weak. I have always been told to protect the weak because it is expected of the strong. Besides." He shifted. "Kyo-sensei and Sandaime-sama would take away my hatai-ate if I ever left you to your foolishness."

"Don't glare at me you moron. You know very well that you would die if left on your own. Once you were alone you would be dead in an instant."

"Always protect you?" He scowled and poked her gently in the back of the head. "Idiot."

Deciding that he had spoken his one sided conversation long enough, Itachi rolled his shoulders and pulled the injured girl closer once again. Not noticing her slight smile hidden in the darkness.

XXXXXXXXXX

Yotaro panted heavily. His chest hurt from his efforts and every part of his body ached from his relentless chakra usage. He couldn't ever remember training so hard in his life. And he wasn't even close.

At least, he didn't think he was. He kept shooting glances at his sensei but the older man's face gave off no conformation; either positive or negative. The only things he had even said to Yotaro since he first announced the jutsu was that he wasn't concentrating hard enough.

"Do it again."

And that. He just kept saying that.

"B-but Sensei. I-I don't have any ch-chakra left."

Kyo glared. "You have plenty. You just need to tap into it. Now do it again."

Yotaro let out an exhausted grunt but he did as he was told and stood, his fingers positioned once again. He closed his eyes tightly and clenched his teeth, willing any chakra he had left to surface. Just one more time.

His eyes flew open. 'Ram, rat, rabbit, rat, dragon, dog, bird.' "Shield of shadows!"

Yotaro placed his hands on his knees, willing his eyes to remain focused. To remain opened. He couldn't do it. It was to tiring. The cave around him began to blur as sweat slid into his eyes and mingled with his exhaustion. Finally he slumped forward and sighed as Kyo's arm caught him before he could hit the ground.

"Well done, little one. Now get some rest. We will continue at sun rise."

"Hai…sen..sei…"

XXXXXXXXXX

Itachi grimaced as the florescent lights were activated in the hall way and white flooded his vision. After the complete blackness that had reigned in their small cell the dim lighting seemed like the sun invading the atmosphere. Brushing the pain off as best he could, Itachi shifted slightly to stretch his sore muscles before he gently poked Hikari in the arm.

"You alive?"

She nodded, her short hair smashed against his chest.

"Did you talk last night? Or was I dreaming?"

"You did not sleep. You were hallucinating."

"Uhhh…what's that mean."

"…You were dreaming awake."

"Okay…"

Carefully Itachi climbed out from behind Hikari and leaned her gently against the wall so he could move in front of her.

"Your name."

"Hikari."

"My name."

"Itachi-baka."

"Our village."

"Konoha."

"Your status."

"…Huh?"

"You seem to be back to normal," Itachi said his voice dry.

"Where are we?" Hikari asked as she tried to stand.

"Stay still idiot. I'm trying to check you over."

Hikari scowled but did as he said and sat still against the wall. It was easy to see that he wasn't sure what else to do. She assumed that outside of the mandatory first aid simulations at the Academy Itachi hadn't had much experience in medical care. Then again it wasn't like he was training to be a med-nin. If anything he was going to join the Konoha Police Corps like every other Uchiha in Konoha village.

"Don't pull so hard Itachi-baka! You'll rip my eyes apart!"

"You seem recovered."

"I still feel really weak though."

"You have not slept. It is taking a toll on your body."

"You didn't sleep either."

"…I have been trained to go with out sleep for days."

Hikari rolled her eyes but regretted it as a sharp pain hit her temple. Closing her left eye in retaliation she gently massaged the side of her head.

"My concussion is mostly cleared so I'm going to sleep now."

"Hn."

Hikari glared but didn't say anything. She really didn't fell well enough to hit him at the moment. Maybe later.

"G-night Itachi-baka."

Itachi rolled his eyes but didn't speak until Hikari's breath was soft and even.

"It is morning baka." His voice was harsh but his eyes were surprisingly gentle. He sat in silence for several minutes before a small shiver laced through Hikari's body. Scowling at her he pulled off his over vest and draped it across her body.

"You are so annoying."

Hikari's only response was a soft sigh as she pulled the vest closer to her chin and fell into a deeper sleep.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Fear. It was a word that had never applied to Itachi. It was meaningless and utterly useless. What does fear do other then drag a person down? He did not need to be drug down; he was aiming for the top. He had never once in his life felt what it was like to tremble in fear or stand voiceless and dumb in horror. So it was no surprise that these strange and unknown feelings bothered him; they bothered him a lot.

After all, why should he fear for this stupid girl? She wasn't anything to him. Nothing at all. She wasn't even a friend; just a teammate that he had to tolerate until he could once again surpass his peers and come up on top.

"Stupid girl. Nothing but a waist. You are nothing to me. Nothing at all."

He was trying to convince himself and he knew that. But that knowledge did nothing but make him all the more irritated.

A small sniff from behind him caused Itachi to jerk around.

"If you hate me so much then why don't you just leave?"

Itachi's eyes widened just a hair as he stared at the sniffling girl in the corner. He hadn't meant for her to hear. In fact, he had thought that she was still sleeping. His eyes narrowed, why wasn't she sleeping?

"Sleep or you will only be a burden."

Rage boiled in Hikari's blood as she slammed her palms on the hard stone floor. "Apparently I'm already one if you have to come save me right? You must think I'm really annoying forcing the "oh so wonderful and perfect hero" Itachi to rescue me from the bad guys! I'm a regular princess in trouble aren't I?"

"Damsel in distress."

"Huh?"

"The proper terminology for that is damsel in distress."

"Who cares! Just get off your stupid white horse Itachi because I'm not a princess so I _don't_ need a knight!"

For a second a slight flicker of hurt seemed to flit through Itachi's eyes but it was gone so quickly Hikari wondered if she had actually just imagined it. Probably. Itachi doesn't do hurt.

"Who ever said that I was here for you anyway? I wouldn't waist my time rescuing some dumb girl. The only reason I'm here is to make sure you get back so that I don't loose my status as a ninja. I don't need you as a person. I need you as a rung on a ladder."

The minute the words left his mouth he regretted them. For once he honestly hoped that she was dumber then he gave her credit for and she wouldn't understand what he had just said. But no. There was no way she couldn't understand that. Even if she didn't know the meaning of the words she would still feel them in his tone. But he couldn't apologize. Apologies are weaknesses, and the Uchiha heir can not be weak. No matter what.

"Go to sleep. You're annoying."

Hikari silently curled up into a tight ball and pushed herself closer to the wall. Tears burned her eyes but she refused to let them fall. She didn't care if he hated her or not, she wasn't going to let him see her cry. She wasn't going to show him that she cared about what he said. That she loved him. She wasn't.

She couldn't afford too.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Days. It had been days since his team had been separated. He had thought that Yotaro would have been able to master this jutsu in only two days but now it had been almost four. Who knew if his students were even still alive? Even if the enemy hadn't killed them they probably killed each other. He really doubted that Hikari and Itachi could stay in the same confined space for very long without blood shed.

"Sensei? Does your chest hurt?"

Kyo started slightly as he realized that his palm had been gently massaging his left breast in an attempt to sooth his aching heart.

"I'm fine. I just feel uneasy about the other two." Seriousness latched onto Kyo's face and he turned to stare down the smaller boy. "Do you truly understand how this plan is to play out?"

"Yes sensei. I promise everything will go well. I won't let you down."

Kyo nodded and placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "I know you won't. Just be careful. The last thing I need is three captured pupils."

"I know, but the scroll is the most important thing right now." Yotaro bit his lip. "Even if. Even if Itachi and Hikari aren't recovered. The mission has to be finished. Right?"

Kyo knelt down and wiped the tears making small tracks down the boy's face. Oh how easy it was for him to forget that, for all of their power, his students really were just children.

"Every thing will be alright Yotaro. Itachi and Hikari will be just fine." Kyo drew the boy in for a hug and Yotaro's eyes widened. He couldn't remember when the last time was that he had been hugged. Before his parents died. But that was almost three years ago, when Tenten was just a baby. He couldn't even remember what his parents looked like now. He couldn't remember a lot of things.

Yotaro's lip trembled and he grasped Kyo's shirt tightly in his fists. He didn't want to be let go. He didn't want to go back to being a ninja, a genin. He just wanted to stay like this. To forever stay wrapped up in the warm arms of someone who cared for him.

After a long while Kyo slowly pulled away and ruffled the boy's hair. "Hey, you're alright, kid. You're strong. You can defiantly make it. We'll all be together in Konoha soon. And once we get back we can go get Ramen at Ichiraku. All four of us, my treat."

"Tenten, too?"

Kyo smiled. "Tenten, too."

"Do you promise Sensei?" All traces of tears were gone from Yotaro's face.

"Yes, Yotaro. I promise. Now go."

"Hai!"

Once Yotaro was gone Kyo clenched his fist hard and gritted his teeth.

"I really hope I can hold up that promise. I really do."

End Chapter Fourteen

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Kaliea: Hi all. I'm in California right now and my internet access is very, very limited. I have to leech off of people. Hopefully though the next chapters of my stories will be out soon so keep your eyes pealed. Ja for now!

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Review Answers:

Dearie: Thankyou, I did work hard on it. I hope you enjoy this one.

Kakashi-Chanu: Ehehehe…hehe..ehem. Yeah, I'm sorry about the lateness. Please don't kill me!

T34rSoFBlOoD: Imagination is good. That's how I came up with this.

BlackEyeShadow: Me either. I'll let you know when I figure it out ;)

YamiKitsuneKami: Ne, don't worry about it. I enjoy reviews but I'm not going to force people to read my story.

White Alchemist Taya: Hikari? It's how she's had to deal with everything before. If you don't want people to know that something's wrong, you act happy. After a long time you get pretty good at it.

Suki dah Turdle: Don't worry. They'll be fine

Dragon Man 180: This relates a lot to another incident in the near future concerning a certain white eyed girl.

grim reaper sakura: Itachi will never admit to being a nice guy. But that doesn't mean that he isn't one.

Rynx- Too- Genki: I think he'd rather have it that way. Itachi isn't one that would be grateful for praise for something that he would rather keep a secret.

ShinkuNoTenshi: Don't worry about it. Fanfiction is just for fun. It's not something we get paid to do, it's just something that we enjoy doing. When people start paying us then we'll commit to it as a job. Until then just enjoy it. That's what it's there for.

Danny-171984: More ItaHika moments to come. Of course they're all innocent moments. They are only seven. The real, romance will come after they meet again at seventeen. After Hikari kicks his butt anyway.

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Kaliea: Thanks for everyone that reviews. I really enjoy them they keep me going. Thanks. After I'm done in CA I'll be able to update more. Ja for now. 


	15. Chapter 15

**Dark and Light:** The Story of Itachi and Hikari

Chapter Fifteen

The trees flew below them like blurs as the two ninjas from the Cloud village scanned the areas below in their daily rounds. So far there hadn't been any sign of the other brat or their teacher but Renji was absolutely certain that the Konoha ninjas wouldn't abandon their teammates. Especially not since one of them was the heir to the Uchiha clan.

A rustle came from below and Daiku motioned for Judai to hold still. Judai landed softly on the tree branch next to his partner and he looked over the side. A smirk tugged at his lips.

"It seems today is our lucky day," Judai said. "The brat came right to us."

"I don't know." Daiku said. "It seems almost too easy to me."

"Don't be stupid Daiku. He's just a kid. He ain't old enough to do something smart."

"True."

The small form of Yotaro crouched tightly under a bush as he listened hard for any opponents. His mission was a relatively simple one with some not so simple aspects thrown in just for kicks. Not really. He was supposed to distract the cloud nins long enough for the scroll to be safely taken out of the fire nation. More then likely he would be kidnapped and taken to where Itachi and Hikari were being kept. If that were the case then he would offer his aid and help them break out of the prison together.

If they were still alive that is. He still harbored doubt that the two were able to survive each other's company for over a week. Either way, the results would most likely not be very good ones.

The blow to the back of his neck was swift and sharp, easily sending him into unconsciousness as the two cloud nins behind him shared a smirk.

"Alright," Judai said. "Pick him up and we'll head back to the base."

Daiku nodded and bent down to lift the boy into his arms. He grunted. "Man, this kid weighs a ton! What do they feed these brats in Konoha?"

"Who cares?" Judai said. "Let's just hurry back. Nashu-sama is due to arrive anytime now."

"Yeah," Daiku said. He sent one last confused glance at his captive before he shook it off and quickly followed his companion back to their under ground base.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Mao!" Hikari suddenly shouted. "When is somebody coming to rescue me already!"

Itachi narrowed his eyes and Hikari scoffed.

"Oh please, Itachi-baka!" She said. "If you were able to get us out of here then you would have done it already, a bajillion and one times!"

"Hn."

"You know, that dumb word is really starting to bother me. It's all you ever say to anything! 'Hi Itachi'. 'Hn'. 'We have a mission today Itachi'. 'Hn'! 'What's the bloody capitol of the Fire Nation Itachi'! 'Hn'! What does that even mean anyway?!"

"….You talk to much…"

Hikari let out a feral growl and would have pounced on her cell mate (despite her inability to see in the darkness) had she not been interrupted by the sudden sound of loud voices in the hall.

"I'm sure there's somethin wrong with this kid Judai. It just ain't normal for a brat to weigh this much."

"How would you even know that Daiku? You got kids? No! Now shut up and put the brat with the others."

Judai grumbled under his breath as he fumbled to get a good grasp on the keys while trying to balance his unconscious burden with one arm. The keys jingled in the lock and the thick, iron gate was pushed open just enough to allow Daiku to toss the limp boy in.

He had just barely reacted in time to slam the door shut when he heard the swish of the wind change. Both Itachi and Hikari scowled as they slammed hard into the metal bars causing their ribs to bruise badly from the impact.

Daiku's eyes were wide as he quickly relocked the door and backed away from where the kids were viciously baring their teeth, as if daring him to try and face them on his own.

Daiku shuddered.

"I don't care what Judai says. You kids just ain't normal."

"Of course not!" Hikari said. "In fact, the only reason we're here is because you guys are cowards and Itachi let himself get caught! And if you think for one second that you can keep us here now that all three of us are together your even dumber then dumb you dummy head!"

Itachi couldn't stop himself from rolling his eyes at the juvenile redundancy of Hikari's speech. It was just so…her. Ditzy and completely un-thought out.

"Dobe."

"What did you say! You better take that back Itachi-baka!"

Daiku shuddered once more as he watched the white haired girl pounce on the Uchiha boy in anger. These kids weren't normal. He knew that for a fact. He also knew that he didn't want to be around them any more. Especially that girl.

She was just plain vicious.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Once they were sure that the 'dummy head' was gone, Hikari and Itachi quickly put an end to their fight and ran over to where Yotaro lay slumped on the floor.

"Yotaro-kun! Yotaro-kun wake up!" Hikari shook her teammate hard while Itachi scanned him for injuries.

Suddenly, Itachi felt as if something clicked and he pushed Hikari aside.

"Move idiot."

"Hey!" Hikari said. "You can't push me away! You don't know first aid or anything! I'm the only one that can help Yotaro-kun! Unless you don't want me to help him because you're a cold hearted jerk and you want him to suffer cause you know he's a better runner then you and a better weapon thrower then you and a nicer guy then you and has a cute little sister and you don't and I'll bet that you're just jealous!"

Instead of responding to her conclusions Itachi just ignored her while he made a seal with his hands and then touched his fingers to Yotaro's forehead.

"Kai."

Instantly a cloud of smoke engulfed Yotaro and when it cleared he was replaced by a perfectly unconscious Haruno Kyo.

"Oohhhhhh." Hikari said. "Huh, I thought he 'felt' funny."

"…Dobe…"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A small distortion in the forest foliage slid around the edge of the large clearing, purposely avoiding any areas that were to open or to brightly lit. The chameleon jutsu was one of the hardest three star jutsus to master and because of that Yotaro's use of it wasn't perfect, leaving holes for weaknesses to be exposed to.

Still, for a young genin of only seven his ability to, not only learn, but sustain the jutsu for, going on, six hours was remarkable. However it was also very taxing. With every step he took Yotaro could feel his chakra leaking away. Slowly waning down until there would be nothing left but exhaustion.

He had, of course, heard the horror stories of people who had suffered from severe chakra exhaustion. Coil Trauma was the official name, if he remembered correctly, and it was definitely something that he did not want. Still, if it meant that Kyo-sensei had time to rescue the others, then Coil Trauma was a risk he was willing to take.

Two more hours passed in agony as sweat pored down his partially visible body. His hands shook and his fingers nearly uncurled from around the scroll they so painstakingly carried. His eyes went wide as his foot snagged on the root of a tree and he just barely had time to shield the scroll before he crashed heavily to the ground.

Yotaro groaned as the jutsu around him flickered once before it disappeared completely. What was to become of him now? He was in Cha no Kuni but that didn't mean that he was safe. What if he was caught?

Thinking as fast as his sluggish brain would allow, Yotaro pulled out a kunai and slit the edge of his thick gray vest. He quickly slid the scroll as far up as he could before he slumped back to the ground. Minutes passed like hours as Yotaro stared at the dirt his cheek was pressed against. His sensitive ears soon picked up the sound of footsteps and he grasped the weapon in his hand tighter as he waited.

Just a little closer…

NOW!

Mustering up every last bit of his strength Yotaro forced his body to react. With a great amount of grace, considering his nearly chakra depleted body, Yotaro lunged at his attacker. The man let out a grunt of surprise as he brought up his hand to shield his face. The kunai sunk deeply into the flesh and he growled as he grabbed Yotaro by the back of his vest with his uninjured arm.

The last thing Yotaro saw before he fell into blackness was the Konoha hatai-ate wrapped tightly around the man's forehead.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Heitsun continued to mutter angrily as he flipped the brat over his shoulder so he could remove the kunai that was lodged in his arm.

The sound of laughter broke him out of his angry rant and he turned his head to glare over his shoulder.

"It isn't funny Jeiken."

"Yes it is." Jeiken said. "It really, really is."

"Whatever. Where's Kin?"

Jeiken paused for a second as she tossed her long braid over her shoulder. "I think he went to inform Kaemon and the others that we found the kid."

"Alright," Heitsun said. "Just let me try and fix him up first. Then we'll go back to the headquarters."

Jeiken frowned in concern. "Is it really bad?"

Heitsun sighed as he laid the young boy on the ground and began checking his vitals.

"I'm not sure." He said. "But adding together all of the factors of his little trip I'd have to say, yeah, it's really bad."

"Can't you reverse any of the damage?"

Heitsun growled. "Dadgum it woman! I'm a med-nin not a miracle worker!" He sighed as he saw Jeiken's hurt look. "I'm sorry Jei. I'm just frustrated. If we had a Hyuuga around it wouldn't be quite so bad. Even the ones that have no medical training at all would be able to repair at least some of the damage."

"What if we gave him to Kin? He could fly the boy back to Konoha in half the time right?"

Heitsun thought for a moment before he slowly nodded. "The damage should still be mostly repairable by then. Kin would have to rush him to the Hyuuga compound to find a coil expert but…it would be a great deal better then just having him sit here and get worse."

"Alright!" Jeiken said (doing a rather disturbing impression of her sister) "Let's do this! Give me the scroll and I run it over to the headquarters once I find Kin."

Heitsun reached into the slit Yotaro had made in his vest, cringing slightly at the absolute self hatred the boy would feel when he learned that his hiding place hadn't been good enough, and passed it to his girlfriend.

"It would probably be better if you gave it to Kyo-san."

Jeiken nodded. "Yeah. I'll do that."

"Be careful," Heitsun said. "But hurry also."

Jeiken grinned as her features began to morph into nearly animalistic ones. "You can count on me!"

For several seconds Heitsun watched as the girl disappeared. Once she was gone he quickly spun around and began to do anything in his power to help the young boy before him.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOTARO IS MISSING!"

Kin nearly sighed as the small Haruno girl pounded mercilessly on his stomach. "If Kyo-sensei sent a message to Hokage-sama that we were in trouble then you should have found Yotaro first! He was the one that was in real danger because we had Kyo-sensei there! Yotaro was all alone! He could be hurt! Or dying! Or—!"

Hikari was cut off as Kyo quickly reached out and yanked her backwards by the collar of her green shirt.

"Shut UP Hikari!"

Hikari trembled at the anger she heard in her cousin's voice. Her lower lip began to shake and she quickly bit down on it to hold it still. Itachi reached over and took the smaller girls hand so that he could lead her away from their teacher.

"She is worried." He said with a heavy glare.

Kyo sighed. "I know. I'm sorry I yelled. I'm just frustrated because it's my fault Yotaro is all alone."

"Yes," Itachi said. "It is."

Hikari giggled just a tiny bit but she still didn't move from her position behind her teammate. Her fists were wrapped tightly around Itachi's clan shirt but he didn't seem to mind as he continued to block her from the older nins' eyes.

Kyo smiled softly at the scene before him. It was clear to him now, what Yotaro had been seeing all along. It was just so…obvious. Maybe he just didn't see it before because Hikari was like a little sister to him. And like every big brother, he didn't want to admit that his sister was growing up.

A great deal faster then she should.

"Hey you two." Mitsu said with a grin. "Your red-string is glowin."

Itachi's cheeks turned just the palest shade of pink as he glared at the older ninja.

Hikari blinked. "…Huh?"

Before anyone could respond, Jeiken came skidding into the clearing. Her eyes were wide and cat like and her nails looked sharper then a new set of kunai. Surprisingly, this didn't seem to bother the older nins (including Kyo) but it sure did surprise the younger ones.

Hikari yelped and Itachi's arm shot out to shield her face completely from view as he glared heartily at the strange new comer.

"Who are you?" He demanded.

Jeiken giggled.

"Oh wow! They're so cute Kyo!"

Itachi glared.

"I do not do 'cute' woman."

Jeiken's eyebrow rose and she flexed her claws. "You should watch that tongue of yours boy. It may get cut off one day."

"What is it that you came here to tell us?" Kaemon said, breaking up the possible fight.

"Oh!" Jeiken quickly pulled the scroll out of one of her spare pouches and she chucked it at Kyo. "We found your other kid." She said with a frown. "And he is in a pretty bad way."

End Chapter Fifteen

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Kaliea: Sorry it took so long guys. If you read the message I left on my profile you would have gotten at least a small hint as to why. Unfortunately that 'problem' still stands so this (and the ones I'll put up for my other stories) will be the last up dates for another long while. I hope you all enjoyed it.

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Review Answers:

katarauchiha653719: I'll do my best.

Lumiere Hikari: I'm glad you like them! I do too

Emy-chan-tan-fan: ItaHika is one of those parings that people just can't help but love I think. Even if it's just cause of the humor of it ;)

slstmaraudersjple: Sorry. My only excuse is that writers block really sucks.

Hiei-Touya-icedemon: I know, the thing that I really like about this story is that you all can see Yotaro how he was meant to be, instead of just in a flash back here or there. This is his story just as much as it is Itachi and Hikari's. It may be about their romance, but Yotaro played a huge roll in making it happen. I'm just glad that you like him so much.

Lumiere Hikari: I never said in the passed chapters. I did in this one though. It's the chameleon jutsu. It allows the one who cast it to blend in almost perfectly with the surroundings. OH! I just noticed that you reviewed twice! Coolio! Thanks!

2lazy2comeupwith1: It will skip to them being older eventually. But for now they'll just have cute little kid moments like they did in this chapter when Itachi was protecting Hikari.

X-PANIC: I'm glad, and I totally agree. It is very cute.

BlackEyeShadow: Thanks!

HarukoElric-AKA-inufan005-: Hee, hee, hee. Actually, you're kind of close. At least in my story anyway.

Luna.the.betrayed.ninja: Sorry about the long wait. I hope you enjoyed it regardless.

Dragon Man 180: They mature a lot during this mission. Especially after they get back to Konoha and find Yotaro. But the real 'growing up' doesn't happen until the chuunin exams when something really, really bad happens to the group.

Tears like Crystals: I loved it too. ItaHika is probably my all-time favorite couple.

Suki dah Turdle: I did have fun in CA. Not as much as I could have since I was working the whole time. But I did have some fun.

Kakashi-Chanu: Cookies and plot bunnies! My favorites!

White Alchemist Taya: I'm glad. Thanks for the review!

Danny-171984: I understand what you're saying, and I totally agree. I hope you liked the little 'moment' I stuck at the end of this one. ;) Thanks for the review!

grim reaper sakura: For some reason I think Hikari likes it when they argue. If she didn't then I doubt she would go out of her way to make him upset. I think the reason that she does it is because she likes to feel like he is noticing her. Even if it is just in anger. It's just something that little kids do.

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Kaliea: Thanks so much for all of your reviews! I hope that you all enjoyed this chapter. Till next time, Ja ne! 


	16. Chapter 16

Dark and Light: The Story of Itachi and Hikari

Chapter 16

Yotaro sighed slightly in his sleep. His eyes were bandaged to protect them from the light should he awaken. Because of the amount of work that was done to his chakra coils all of his senses would be tripled, possibly even quadrupled in sensitivity for the next several days. Because of that it was no surprise that the boy jerked awake when the very distant shriek of 'Yotaro-kuuun!' reached his ears.

Yotaro flinched awake and pressed his palm gently to his forehead. His skin tingled as if covered by pins and needles at the contact and he quickly pulled his hand away. He had no idea why his body felt so odd but he quickly learned that the best way to minimize the feeling was to lay completely flat on his bed. Not that doing that helped the ringing that was beginning to swell in his ears as every shout of 'Yotaro-kun!' came closer and closer to his room until the door slammed open hard and Hikari ran in sobbing. She would have thrown herself across her barely conscious friend had Hyuuga Rai not snagged her around the waist.

"I would not advise that Haruno-san." Rai said, his voice barely a whisper. "Young Yotaro is in a very delicate position. His chakra coils are currently overloaded making his senses more highly attuned then normal. I am afraid it will be several days before he will be recovered enough to receive any attention from any persons other then those directed by myself."

Hikari blinked. "Huh?"

"He is ill. Get out."

Hikari jumped at the sudden voice from behind her and she pressed her palm to her chest in an attempt to calm her racing heart.

"Itachi-baka! Don't scare me like that!"

Yotaro moaned as his ears began to ring from the sound of Hikari's shouts; wishing desperately that he could cover them without irritating his skin. Instead he turned his head just enough to send Itachi as pleading of a glance as he could manage.

Interpreting his teammate's look correctly Itachi snagged Hikari's wrist and flung her rather savagely from the room before nodding lightly to Rai. Sending one last glance to Yotaro Itachi left the room and closed the door quietly only to find himself inches from Hikari's fury filled face.

"Why did you make me leave Itachi-baka! I was _trying_ to see Yotaro-kun!"

If Itachi was the type of person to sigh, he would have sighed.

"Yotaro is still recovering. You are not welcome during that time."

"And just why not? I'm his friend! He's my teammate! I should be allowed to see him!"

"……Talking and touching make him hurt."

Hikari blinked. "Oh. Well why didn't you say that in the first place?" She abruptly turned and began skipping down the hall. "I'm gonna go see Tenten-chan!" Was the last thing she said before she disappeared around the corner.

"….Hn."

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was several weeks before Yotaro was as recovered from his chakra exhaustion. Unfortunately his chakra coils were still very delicate and he was told that it would be several years, if ever, before he was able to build them up to the level that they were before hand. If he was lucky he would one day be able to use third-level jutsus with out much trouble but that was still several years off.

Despite this news, however, team four still anxiously assembled at the Ichiraku Raman stand on the day of Yotaro's release to celebrate.

Well, Hikari and Yotaro anxiously assembled while Itachi found himself drug along against his will. Or at least against his protests.

"So how did you guys escape?" Yotaro said as he set some noodles on a plate for Tenten. "All Kyo-sensei told me was that you all weren't hurt."

Hikari giggled before glancing over at Itachi. "Well…you see Itachi-baka made this big plan to escape while Kyo-nii-chan was knocked out and he was so excited to use it that he actually almost-sorta-not really-but kinda-closely smiled. And then Kyo-nii-chan woke up and patted Itachi-baka on the head and said: 'Don't worry you two I'll have us out in a second.' And then he used some hand seals but it was really dark still cause it was night and we were underground so I couldn't see and then he made a slice with his hands which I could kinda see cause my eyes were good by then and the bars just 'clanged' to the floor and then Kyo-nii-chan said: 'Come on. We're leaving.' And then he found the guys that took us and knocked them out and Itachi-baka and me tied them up and then those re-encorsement guys from Kigakure came and that's it."

"….Don't you mean reinforcements?"

Hikari tilted her head. "Isn't that what I said?"

"….Sure."

Itachi just scowled.

"So does anybody know when we start training again?" Hikari asked.

Before either of the boys could answer a shriek and a giggle made them all jerk around to see Tenten following a small ball as it rolled onto the street and into the path of an oncoming carriage.

"Tenten!" Yotaro and Hikari shouted as one even as Itachi had already leapt from his stool to retrieve her. Yotaro was quick to follow but the two of them were to far back. Hikari yelled and buried her face into her hands as the carriage thundered past, not seeing the black blur that had snagged the poor girl inches away from her untimely death. Not hearing anyone screaming in horror Hikari slowly uncovered her eyes just in time to see Itachi punch a strange boy hard in the face.

"Itachi!" Hikari shouted as she leapt from her stool and hurried over to the scene of the fight. "What are you doing?"

Tenten watched only half interested from her place on the ground as Yotaro did his best to hold Itachi back from hitting the boy again as Hikari came up.

"Itachi!" Yotaro said. "What's gotten into you? He just saved my sister's life!"

"He almost killed your sister first Yotaro! Now let me go so I can hit him again!"

Yotaro was shocked. The only time he had ever seen Itachi show this much emotion was when he was arguing with Hikari, but now he was claiming that this boy who had just rescued his little sister had actually tried to kill her? Yotaro shook his head in confusion.

"What are you talking about?"

"Yeah Prodigy-san?" The boy asked. "What are you talking about? I didn't have to risk my neck to save your friend's sister. I did it because I wanted too."

"Really, Itachi," Hikari said, her face unusually serious. "You are being very rude to him." Putting on a smile Hikari turned to face the boy and held out her hand. "I'm sorry about him. Are you alright?"

The boy put on a quick smile as he reached out to take her offered hand. "I'm fine. But the real question is: Are you hurt?"

Hikari blinked as she paused midway from helping him up. "Me? No, of course not. Why?"

"Well, it's a long fall from heaven and surely you must be an angel."

Hikari was still for several seconds before she abruptly let go of the boy's hand causing him to fall back into the dirt before she spun around to loop her arms around Itachi and Yotaro's elbows.

"Well that was an adventure! Come on Tenten-chan! We need to get going!"

Yotaro merely snickered while Itachi glanced over his shoulder to exchange glares with the boy. Before he and his companions disappeared completely into the crowed he mouthed back one final thing: 'Back off Kenta.'

For his part Kenta continued to glare long after the four had departed ignoring the traffic of wagons and pedestrians around him.

"Just you wait Itachi. Just you wait."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

That night Hikari couldn't sleep as her mind kept going back to earlier when she saw that boy. For some reason she was sure that she should recognize him, she just didn't know why. Was he in her class back at the academy? That would explain why she didn't recognize him. She didn't exactly fit in well with the rest of the class. Or maybe she knew him from her year at the Institute.

After several minutes of silent debate Inner Hikari finally had enough and told her to just 'Shut the hell up!' which she eventually did as she fell into a shallow, dream filled sleep.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

The next day found Hikari still sleeping long past the time that she was supposed to meet her team, of course since the first thing she had done after coming back from her mission was to follow through on her threat to toss her 'demon alarm' out of her third story bedroom that wasn't to be completely unexpected. What _was_ completely unexpected, however, was waking up to a bucket of ice cold water being dumped on her head.

Thoroughly shocked (and thoroughly wet) Hikari floundered on the bed for half a second before she tumbled, rather ungracefully, to the carpeted floor head first. Still sputtering, and now 'itai'-ing over and over while rubbing her head Hikari cautiously peeked over the top of her bed to find herself met with two pairs of glaring eyes and one pair of greatly amused ones.

"Well," Kyo said. "Now that we're all finally together I have an announcement."

He took a moment to make sure that all three of his charges were listening (as well as cause a dramatic air) before he continued.

"I have submitted your names for the upcoming Chuunin exam. You have one month to practice. Make it count."

End chapter Sixteen

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Kaliea: Well this was a long, long time coming. And sadly it's really short. Sorry. Hopefully the next few chapters will be longer. Sadly they will also be rather tragic. Oh well. I hope that you all enjoyed. Don't forget to review!

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Review Answers: 

CherryBlossoms016: After the Chuunin exam arch.

Slstmaraudersjple: In Japanese folk-lore it is believe that people who are destined for each other (soul mates) are tied together by a red string attached to their pinkies. She was basically saying that they are destined for each other.

T34rSoFBlOoD: Yeah, that was one of my favorites too.

katarauchiha653719: I can promise that I will always update. It may take a long while but I'll always be back.

Satoke.Luna.: (blushes) Please don't grovel. I'm just your average fanfic writer. I hope that you enjoyed the chapter!

Rynx- Too- Genki: I hope that you were still pining and that my really late update didn't put you off from reading it.

grim reaper sakura: Itachi does strike me as that sort of person. Actually, I think it was an Itachi sort of person that I heard that line from in the first place.

Tears like Crystals: I'm glad that you liked it. And I agree with you, Hikari should be a real character. But hey, the manga isn't over yet. Maybe Kishimoto-sama will stumble across my story and decide to include her. If that's the case and Kishimoto-sama is reading this right now: I GIVE YOU EVERY RIGHT TO HARUNO HIKARI, KISHIMOTO-SAMA!! Ehem, thanks for the review!

Lumiere Hikari: I haven't completely decided how much the Kigakure gang is going to influence this story yet. Although they play a fairly important role in Holding out for a Hero if you want to know more about them.

xXUrbanRegalityXx: Kind of reminds you of Naruto doesn't she? However she and Naruto have one very big difference. Can you guess what it is? As for Itachi, I'm glad that you think I'm characterizing him well. However now that I'm going to start getting into the "Itachi angst-emo" part of his life I hope that I continue to do well.

Danny-171984: I hope that you liked the chapter. As for the Itachi/Hikari stuff…well, it's going to get loads and loads worse before it even starts to get better.

Dragon Man 180: Plot holes are good things. They make the story more dramatic ;) Besides, it wasn't all that great. Just a waste of space to go completely into it.

i luv u -im bored-:I'll do my best, but I have a lot of things on my plate right now.

oOolaalaax: Most of those things that you mentioned were done on purpose. Makoto start's his sentences with "Now" because it is a part of his character, it's one of those things that sets him apart like Deidara's "yeah"s and Naruto's use of "Dattebayo". They don't need to say those things, the just do because that's part of who they are. Also when Hikari rambles on and on and on I don't use punctuation because I want to show that she says those things very quickly and with out any pause. As she gets older she'll learn how to better pace herself and at that point I will begin using punctuation unless there is a part where she reverts back to her older habits. And finally while I appreciate your thoughts about my considering a beta reader, I really don't have that sort of time. Fanfiction is just that, Fanfiction. I don't make any money doing it, it's just for fun, so I'm not going to spend time turning it into some sort of job substitute where I actually need to go about taking time out of my schedule to make sure that my beta and I are able to communicate regarding a story that I'm doing just for kicks. I don't want you to think that I am belittling you in any way because I can assure you that I am not. I thank you for your comments but they were completely unnecessary.

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Kaliea: Well I hope that you all enjoyed the latest installment of Dark and Light. Don't forget to drop me a review! Till next time, ja ne! 


	17. Chapter 17

**Dark and Light:** The Story of Itachi and Hikari

Chapter 17

The month before the exams flew by far quicker then anyone on team four ever imagined that it could. It didn't help that it took almost all of their needed training time (a full week and a half) to convince Haruno-sama that it would be perfectly acceptable to have his (only just) eight year old daughter travel to the Hidden Mist village to participate.

In the end it was actually three year old Sakura who made the decision by telling Hikari that on no uncertain terms was she allowed to return with out bringing her one of the famed china faced dolls that the Mist was known for.

So after a solemn promise to both her father and her sister to return home in one piece (with a doll) Hikari was given leave to begin practicing with her team. For the remaining time their training schedule was not only tripled but it also included a great many things that they had never bothered with learning before. This basically being book work.

Hikari quickly learned how to calculate the velocity and range of almost any physical attack (mostly weapon based) when the added benefit of physical objects was there to help with the instruction while Yotaro spent his time slowly building up his chakra to a passable level. That being the minimum level it would be expected of someone to have in order to graduate from the academy. Being so well rounded already Itachi spent his time running over the basics and drilling his teammates on anything and everything that could possibly be included in the exam.

"Every exam is different." Kyo had told them. "Because of this you have to be prepared for anything that your examiners could possibly throw your way. This is especially true when it comes to exams in the other villages. Not one of them is considered as conservative as the ones held here in Konoha. Make sure that you keep that in mind."

And they had. Or at least Itachi had, and through him the other two would never have the chance to forget it.

"You're to slow Hikari!" Itachi said. "Protect your left!"

Hikari glared but complied and raised her guard on her less dominant side. This time she was more prepared for the small black balls as they shot in her direction and managed to dodge them all; even if it wasn't done completely gracefully.

"Hey that was pretty good Kari!" Yotaro called from under an old oak.

Itachi sent him a light glare.

"You are supposed to be meditating."

Yotaro grinned and crossed his arms behind his head in a deliberately relaxing fashion.

"Relax a little Itachi. You're acting like we've never been in a fight before."

"Yeah, Itachi-baka." Hikari added. "And incase you haven't noticed we did just finish an A-rank mission at the age of seven."

"Itachi and I were eight."

Hikari shrugged. "Same difference."

Itachi glared at them both and crossed his arms tightly. "If you recall we did not finish it on our own. We received a great deal of aid from an outside source."

"And a great deal of pay." Yotaro said. "I didn't even realize how much a person could make as a ninja. I guess I really chose the right profession."

"Only if you are able to achieve a higher rank." Itachi said. "Otherwise you will spend the remainder of your life doing menial labor for mediocre pay."

Hikari tilted her head slightly to the side as she paused in collecting the practice balls from the grass. "You sure are talking a lot today Itachi. Are you sick?"

Itachi flushed only the tiniest bit while Yotaro doubled over in laughter. Hikari just stared unable to understand what it was that they found so funny. Well, Yotaro found funny anyway.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

The day that team four had to leave for the Mist Village came so fast that even Hikari had doubts about whether they were ready or not. Still, despite their reservations, the young group was very anxious to set out; each displaying their excitement in their own ways. As usual Hikari couldn't stand still and bounced eagerly from one foot to the other while Itachi and Yotaro both stood with their hands resting in their pockets. The only thing that gave away Yotaro's real feelings was the wide smile stretched across his lips. He nudged Itachi lightly with his elbow.

"You really should calm down you know. People might start to wonder about you."

Itachi gave his friend a rare look that bordered on amusement. Well, it was more like amusement was lurking deep with in the shadows, but at least it was there.

"I don not need to behave like I am certifiable to anticipate an event Yotaro."

Yotaro blinked once before he smirked. "Maybe, but you might want to at least act like you haven't swallowed the entire Japanese dictionary."

Before Itachi could respond Hikari had grabbed both boys by their hands and started dragging them out of the large gates.

"Come on guys! We gotta hurry before my dad changes his mind and locks me in my room like some weird princess until I'm forty!"

Yotaro snickered but didn't fight his friend's grip as he looked back over his shoulder to wave one final good-bye at his little sister.

"I'll see you when I'm a Chuunin, Tenten! Just wait!"

Tenten smiled widely and waved wildly as her brother disappeared from view with his team.

"My brother's so cool." She said.

Sasuke scoffed in a funny three year old way.

"No way." He said. "My nii-chan is way bettered then your nii-chan Tenten."

"Nope!" Sakura said. "My nee-tan is the bestest cause she's bringed me a _doll_."

Tenten looked very impressed but Sasuke just looked confused.

"Whad's so cool 'bout dat?"

Sakura lifted her nose into the air with a sniff. "Yur jus a boy Saske."

Even though he didn't know exactly what she meant, Sasuke still understood enough to know that he should be insulted. And so he was.

XXXXXXXXXXX

"How far is Kirigakure Kyo-sensei?" Yotaro asked as they set up camp on their third day of traveling.

"It will take only a few more days until we reach Port Town. After that it's only a day before we reach Kirigakure." Kyo said. "If you three were older then we would be there today, but due to several elements beyond your control we'll take longer."

"Elements?" Hikari said. "Like water and fire and stuff?"

Kyo stifled a laugh. "No Hikari. The second definition. What I meant was that because you all are so young your legs are short and you don't have much stamina. That will be sorted out in a couple of years, but for now it slows us down."

"Oooh. Okay." Hikari paused for a second. "Will we get to swim while we're there?"

"You had better hope not," Yotaro said.

"Why?"

"Because of they have eels in their lakes and rivers that can strip your flesh from your body in seconds." Yotaro said.

"You mean like piranha from the River country?"

"No," Itachi said. "Piranha only attack things that are injured; kamisori unagi attack anything with a body temperature higher then the water that they live in."

Hikari's eyes were wide as she stared back and forth between the two boys. "Y-you're just trying to scare me right? There aren't really razor eels there, right Kyo-nii-chan?"

"Yes, Hikari, there are. So I want you to be especially careful. With your clumsy personality you could end up losing your fingers or toes just by being careless, and I would rather not have to explain to Uncle why I returned you in pieces."

"R-right," Hikari said. "I'll be super careful. I promise."

"Alright then," Kyo said. "Now you all had better get some sleep. We have a long way to go tomorrow."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Hikari had been certain (and informed her teammates during the whole trip) that such a bloody country would be dark and gloomy with crooked leafless trees and constant lightning flashing through the mist filled sky.

She was, of course, very disappointed to find that the only thing she had guessed about correctly was the constant fog. There were indeed a great many trees, some reaching even higher than the tallest ones back home. The difference here being that they were swamp trees, seeing as the entire village was built on top of a large swamp.

Hikari wrinkled her nose and hid behind Yotaro's shoulder as the putrid stench of the swamp attacked her sense of smell with a vengeance.

"Gross!" she said. "How can people stand living here?"

Kyo chuckled and motioned towards the large gates looming ahead. "The actual village is sheltered from the smell by irrigation and a large amount of flowering bushes and trees. It's actually a great deal different then it appears from the outside."

"Do you know what our exam will be like Kyo-sensei?" Yotaro said as he gently peeled Hikari's fingers from the shoulder of his vest.

"No," Kyo said. "All exams are different, especially if they are held in a different village. And since I have never seen, or even heard, about the Mist exam's I really have no idea about what it will be like, but I would expect it to be very difficult. The Mist isn't exactly known for its compassion."

"Well," Yotaro said. "As long as we stick together we should be alright."

Itachi rolled his eyes. "You make us sound like one of those groups off of 'Shinobi Lane'."

Hikari's eyes were wide. "You actually watched that show? Wow, and here I was thinking that you just popped out and started training."

Itachi glared at her. "No I didn't just 'pop out' and no I never watched that show. Sometimes I happen to hear it when Sasuke-chan has it on, that's all."

"Sure," Yotaro said. "We believe you, right Hikari?"

Hikari giggled. "Of course. After all, who would ever think that big bad Itachi would watch 'Shinobi Lane'?"

Itachi scowled at his teammates and spun around, crossing his arms over his chest in a very obvious show of ignoring them.

"Awe, c'mon Itachi," Yotaro said. "You know we're just joking."

Hikari snickered. "I'm not."

"You're not helping," Yotaro said as he gave the girl a light shove.

"Was I supposed to?"

Before Yotaro had the chance to respond Hikari's sandal caught on a rock, sending her sprawling across the dirt road.

"Ow! Ow, ow, ow, ow!"

Itachi sighed and turned to offer her a hand since he was the closest. "You really are an idiot."

Tears clung to the corners of Hikari's eyes as she accepted Itachi's hand with a light sniffle.

"I am not Itachi-baka. I'm just clumsy." She stumbled again due to a sharp pain in her knee and Itachi only just managed to hold her up.

"What now?" he said.

"She skinned her knee pretty bad," Yotaro answered for her as he knelt down to look at it. "She'll probably need to see a medic when we get into the village."

Itachi looked incredulous. "A medic for a skinned knee? You cannot be serious."

"Well," Kyo said. "Judging by the fact that I can see almost her entire knee cap I would have to say that: no, he's not joking."

Hikari sniffed again, but refused to let her tears fall as her cousin gently pulled her up to cradle her in his arms.

"Let's get going boys," Kyo said. "We'll register once we've gotten Hikari taken care of."

Itachi grumbled half-heartedly as he and Yotaro followed after their instructor, not one of them noticing the shadow watching them as they disappeared through the gates of Kirigakure.

End Chapter Seventeen

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Kaliea: I hope that you all enjoyed this chapter. I know it's kind of short but all of my chapters are pretty short anyway. Don't forget to review!

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Review Answers:

Danny-171984: I've actually had this chuunin exam planned for a long time. To be honest it's what made me want to write this story in the first place. Now I just have to hope that I'll be able to do what I have in my head justice on paper.

Tears like Crystals: Yeah, that was one of my favorite parts as well. She's a lot like Sakura in the way that she completely ignores advances from people that she isn't interested in.

CherryBlossoms016: Sure, no problem.

craziness101: Hikari is seven but will be eight September third, while both Yotaro and Itachi turned eight in June (Yotaro the first and Itachi the ninth). Right now it's around mid August. The next semester of the Ninja academy starts up the second week of September which is why Hikari was a year late in starting.

ÐємσиChєяя¥ sakuraαкαтѕυк...: Chapter seventeen is up right now ;) I hope that you enjoy it.

hippi926840: I'm glad that you think so.

-Asa-Hoshi-: I appreciate that. Every author likes to be told that their work is well done.

Sakimi1014: I do my best.

grim reaper sakura: Naw, I'll never stop till their finished. It just might take me a very long while.

Rynx- Too- Genki: Well, a lot is in store for Itachi and Hikari in the future and quite a bit of it will focus around Kenta and two other familiar but hated faces.

Dragon Man 180: The ball that Tenten followed belonged to Kenta and he rolled it into the ramen stand so that she would see it knowing that it would roll back out into the street where she would follow it. The reason Itachi hit him is because he recognized the ball. How will be explained later though.

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Kaliea: Thanks so much for all of your reviews! I hope that you enjoyed the chapter! Till next time, Ja ne! 


	18. Chapter 18

Dark and Light:_ The Story of Itachi and Hikari_

Chapter Eighteen

Once inside of the hidden Mist village the three younger members of team four couldn't help but stare. It wasn't anything like they had imagined. Thousands of rare plants draped along the walls and buildings; releasing a rather pleasing combination of scents that completely drove the swamp from their minds. After a long silence it was unsurprising that Hikari was the first to speak.

"I think I'm in love…" She said in awe. "When you guys go home I would be really okay with you leaving me here."

Itachi snorted. "That could be arranged." He said. "After all, it's not like you would be missed."

Hikari glared at her teammate before she reached down to swat him hard on the back of his head.

Itachi stifled a yelp as he turned to return her glare full force while gingerly rubbing his head.

"What was that for you dobe?" He demanded his voice only just even.

Hikari's only response was to swat him again, this time on the tip of his nose. Yotaro burst out laughing, completely ignoring the molten glare that Itachi sent his way as he braced himself up against his knees.

Kyo snickered as he watched his team's prodigy rub his slightly reddened nose with his palm.

"Really, Hikari, he isn't a dog." Kyo said. "There are better ways to show your displeasure."

Before Hikari could respond a familiar voice called out to Kyo making the bluette turn in surprise. It wasn't hard for him to find the source of the call as he watched a ponytailed boy around his age waving as he and his team came forward. It wasn't until Kyo spotted the scar slashed across the bridge of his nose that he recognized the boy with a start.

"Iruka!" He called. "What are you doing here? Are you taking the test again?"

Umino Iruka flushed and awkwardly scratched his nose. "Yeah, but this is only my third time so it's not as bad as most people."

Kyo scoffed as he cuffed the other boy gently on his back. "That isn't bad at all Iruka, especially since you spent all that time interning with the Kigakure Academy. You were just distracted before."

Iruka nodded his face confident. "Yeah, but this time I'll pass for sure!"

Kyo laughed and nodded as well as he ruffled the slightly taller man's hair. "Sure you will! I look forward to congratulating you in the end too, so me and my team had better see you there!"

"Ne, Kyo-nii-chan?" Hikari said. "Who's he?"

"Oh! Sorry guys," Kyo said, snapping back into his proper role. "This is Umino Iruka, he and I went to the academy together. He graduated three years ago."

Itachi snorted. "He graduated three years ago and he is still a genin? Pathetic."

This time it was Kyo who swatted Itachi on the back of the head hard enough to bring tears of pain to the corners of the boy's eye. He squinted one eye shut but used the other to glare up at his sensei in irritation.

"What is it with your clan and your fascination with striking me in the head?"

"You were being extremely rude Itachi." Kyo said, his mouth turned down into a stern frown. "You know better than to speak to your senpai in that way."

"If he is still a genin then he isn't really our senpai, sensei." Yotaro pointed out.

Iruka grinned at the boys before reaching down to ruffle their hair. "I suppose your right ne?"

Kyo frowned and would have crossed his arms if his cousin were not still in them.

"No they're not." He said to Iruka before turning to face the boys. "Iruka has spent the last few years interning as an instructor at a private ninja academy in the southern part of the Fire Country, and the only reason he wasn't able to pass his last two chuunin exams was because he was still working there up until the last minute."

Iruka did his best to wave off Kyo's praise as the three students looked up him half suspicious, half impressed.

"Awe, c'mon Kyo, your embarrassing me…"

"Pretty unnecessarily too I'd say." Came an annoyed voice from behind the group. "Iruka-_chan_, wouldn't stand a single chance if it weren't for me."

Iruka grimaced only slightly before he pasted a smile to his lips and turned to his companions.

"Koko-san, I'm glad to see that you were able to follow me well enough."

Koko snorted and lifted her dainty nose into the air as she flicked her deep black hair over her shoulder.

"Against my own wishes I assure you." She said. "I don't see why Mizuki-kun and Takanaka-sensei keep letting you gallivant around on your own, you only ever get us into trouble."

Hikari scowled at the girl. "Who are you? And what makes you think you can be mean to Iruka-sensei? He's a _teacher_ you know!"

"Not yet," Koko said. "And not ever if I have anything to say about it. And while it is not any of your business brat; my name is Shiritani Koko. I am, unfortunately, Umino's teammate for this exam."

Takanaka Hiratori sighed as he and Mizuki both came up behind Iruka and Koko, their arms draped in bright pink bags.

"Koko, I have told you before not to harass Iruka-kun." Takanaka said. "If you say one more negative thing to him then I assure you that you will not be passing this test no matter how well you do."

Koko scowled at her sensei before she shot Iruka one last look and turned. Flipping her hair once she started walking away from the group. Without looking back she waved her hand up and down over her shoulder.

"Come on Mizuki-kun. Let's leave Iruka-chan to play with his age-mates."

Mizuki shrugged helplessly at his friend before he turned to follow his female teammate. Once they were out of sight Takanaka-sensei sighed once more and rested a reassuring hand on Iruka's shoulder.

"Don't let her get to you boy. She's just a horrible person by nature."

Iruka gave his sensei a small half smile. "Thanks sensei." Iruka said. "Um, would you mind if I stayed with Kyo and his students for a while?"

"Not at all," Takanaka said. "Take your time. We'll be staying at the Takamura ryokan."

"Arigato Takanaka-sensei," Iruka said with a bow. Once his teacher was gone Iruka turned back to his friend and motioned for him and his students to follow. "I'll show you guys where the hospital is."

Yotaro's shoulders relaxed just a bit as he let out a small breath. "I was wondering when you all would remember that Hikari was hurt."

"We never forgot Yotaro, we just got caught up in other things." Kyo said. "Besides, I don't think that Hikari minds too much."

"What makes you say that?" Yotaro asked as he trailed after his teacher.

Itachi 'hn'd. "She fell asleep."

Yotaro chuckled. "That's our Hikari…"

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"So who was that girl from before?" Yotaro asked once the group was alone in one of the hospitals urgent care rooms. "She was pretty rude."

Iruka sighed and rubbed his forehead as he leaned back into his chair. "Shiritani Koko. She's an illegitimate child born to Shiritani Natsuko. Koko's father was one of her assasanation targets, so her daughter was often teased. She entered the ninja academy at six and graduated with my class when she was eleven. She was injured badly in a training accident that left her temporarily paralyzed. When she was able to return to being a Shinobi one of her team members was already chuunin and the other had left to intern at another academy."

"But that still doesn't explain why she was so mean to you." Yotaro said. "You didn't do anything to her."

"I was her second teammate," Iruka said. "When she found out that Kousuke had already passed the chuunin exam she demanded that I come back and participate with her. When I turned her down she got angry and formed a shot gun team. They didn't even make it past the first test. Since then she's taken it six times. This will be her seventh."

"If you ask me, she's pretty pathetic," Yotaro said with a scowl. "Blaming someone else for her inadequacies; I hope she fails this time too!"

Kyo smiled sadly down at his student as Yotaro crossed his arms and looked away from the group. He rested his hand gently on the back of the boys head causing Yotaro to jump slightly in surprise and look up. Angry tears clung to the corners of his eyes and he flushed as one broke free to slide down his cheek. Embarrassed he looked down and scrubbed his face clean with the gray sleeve of his shirt.

"Hey," Kyo said gently as he knelt next to the boy. "It's okay to be upset Yotaro. You don't have to be ashamed of it."

"People like that just tick me off…" He said, his voice muffled. "They think that they got it so hard, but they've all got their families. And so what if she's a bastard? At least she knows who she is and where she comes from." He sniffed as he finished wiping the tears from his cheeks. "I'll bet she never had to work hard for anything."

Itachi blinked as he watched his friend slowly break down from the inside out. He never really knew what it was that Yotaro had to go through. It made him feel slightly ashamed of the things he always had handed to him. Even his ability as a Shinobi was something that he was born with. He never really had to work hard; he was just simply the best. But Yotaro had to work to be as good as he was. And now with his chakra coils such a mess it would be even more difficult for him.

Yotaro jumped just a bit when another, smaller hand rested on his shoulder. Looking back at who it was he felt his face wrinkle up in confusion.

"Itachi? What's up?"

Itachi didn't say anything as he handed his friend a navy colored cloth with the Uchiha emblem stitched in the bottom corner. Yotaro was about to ask what it was for when he noticed the slight flush on Itachi's cheeks. He smiled as he slowly reached up to take the cloth.

"Thanks."

Itachi shrugged.

"Aww! How cute!" Everyone, including Itachi, jumped nearly three feet at the unexpected sound before they plunged their hands into their weapon pouches in order to arm themselves. The sound of giggling quickly made them stop and look up. Itachi scowled when he noticed that it was only Hikari, who had woken up just in time to witness his moment of compassion.

"I knew that you really liked us Itachi-_chan_." Hikari said. "You're such a softie!"

Iruka chuckled and slid his kunai back into his pouch. "Well, I guess I had better get going. I need to rest up before training tomorrow."

Itachi nodded as the rest of his team waved good-bye before Iruka slipped out the door. Once he was gone Kyo turned to his team and handed Itachi a small cloth bag.

"There's about sixty ryo in there." He said. "After the medic has taken care of Hikari I want you to pay and then the three of you can head to the park across the street."

Hikari's eyes went wide. "Oh! Oh! Oh!" She said. "Can we get ice-cream Kyo-nii-chan? Pleeeaaasssee?"

Kyo nodded. "Sure. Just don't leave there until I come and get you. Alright?"

"Haiii!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Ne, Yotaro-kun?" Hikari asked from her position on the boy's back. "What's your clan name? I only noticed that you never said."

Yotaro pressed his lips together in contemplation as he hiked his female teammate higher on his back. After several seconds of silence he spoke.

"I don't have one." He said. "I never did."

"But everyone has a clan name, right Itachi-baka?"

"Under normal circumstances the answer to that question would be yes. However there have been instances where a particular member of a clan has been stricken from the clan records leaving them and any heirs they may produce with no clan title or name."

Hikari blinked. "Huh?"

"My family was disowned." Yotaro translated. "It was before I was born. I don't know why because my parents never said anything. Even if they had I don't remember. They died during the Kyuubi attack when I was five."

Hikari nodded in sympathy. "My oji-san, Kyo-nii-chan's dad, died then too. He didn't fight though, he was just an accident."

Once they were in the park Itachi pointed them towards a stone bench positioned under a tzumu sassafras near the far right edge of the park. Once over there Yotaro gently set Hikari down onto the bench before standing to stretch out his muscles.

"Man, you're a lot heavier then I remember Hikari," He said, his face concerned. "I wonder if what happened to my chakra coils effected my physical strength too."

Itachi snorted. "More likely she is just getting fat."

Hikari scowled. "Shut up Itachi-baka," she said poking his gut. "I'm not the only one. Now go get me and Yotaro-kun some ice-cream."

Itachi's eye ticked and he crossed his arms tightly across his chest. "No."

The two glared at each other for seemingly hours before Hikari finally huffed and started to slide off the bench. "Fine then. I'll do it myself since you're such a jerk."

Yotaro chuckled and rested his palm on Hikari's shoulder in order to keep her from standing. "Come on Itachi," he said. "I'll go with you. You just wait her Hikari. We'll be back soon."

Hikari smiled brightly at Yotaro.

"Arigato Yotaro-kun," she said. "At least one of my teammates is a gentleman."

Itachi scowled but before he could respond Yotaro nudged him in the direction of the park entrance where he had seen an ice-cream vendor.

"We'll be back soon."

After the boys had left Hikari sighed contentedly as she lay down on the bench and closed her eyes. It was only about a minute later when she heard the sound of someone approaching just before a shadow loomed over her, blocking out the sun.

"Now what do we have here?" Came the familiar mocking voice.

Hikari's eyes flew open wide as she stared at the smirking face in shock.

"Evening Ghost Girl," Makoto said. "Where's your bodyguard?"

"Yeah," Shishini said. "Cause you're gonna need him."

End Chapter Eighteen

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Kaliea: And Makoto returns! But wasn't he arrested? How did he escape? Did he escape? And what is he doing at the Chuunin exams? The answer to these questions and more: I have no idea! I guess we'll all have to find out together!

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Review Answers:

T34rSoFBlOoD: Yeah, they're all pretty cute huh? Unfortunately they'll just have to wait to find out who the best sibling really is.

Rynx: To quote Yoda: So certain are you? Heh, I guess you just have to wait and find out.

Silver Ink Pot: I'm glad that you enjoyed it :)

Danny-171984: There is definitely more than one team from Konoha, I just figured that since all of the teams (even the ones from the same village) were going to be enemies during the exam they wouldn't want to travel together for fear of revealing any vital techniques. Also, there won't be very many from Konoha since the village with the most participants is usually the one that hosts the exam.

Sakimi1014: Thank-you very much. And I'll do my best.

hippi926840: I'm glad you think so!

grim reaper sakura: Thanks for your understanding. And yeah, the kids are pretty adorable huh?

Dragon Man 180: Ha! I didn't even think about that. It's not a bad idea. I'll see if I can fit it in. Sadly I have something else in mind though. You'll just have to wait to see what.

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Kaliea: Thanks so much for all of your reviews! I hope that you all enjoyed the chapter. If so then let me know! Till next time, ja ne!


	19. Chapter 19

**Dark and Light:** _The Story of Itachi and Hikari_

Chapter Nineteen

Hikari stared at the two boys for several minutes before she slowly blinked.

"What are you doing here?" She said as she sat up and stretched like a cat. "Didn't Itachi-kun make it clear that you're supposed to leave me alone?"

Makoto's eyes widened slightly at the completely nonchalant way that this girl was talking to him. His eyes narrowed.

"Now, if I didn't know any better ghost girl, I would think that you forgot about all the time we spent together."

"No," Hikari said. "But I have forgotten why I was ever scared of you." She paused slightly; placing her finger to her chin. "Looking back you actually weren't very good. How did you even pass the genin exam, Yamataro-san?"

Surprise quickly morphed to anger as Makoto ground his teeth together, a harsh glare on his face.

"Now you're walking a real thin line ghost girl." He said. "You better apologize before I make you."

Hikari snorted and lay back down on the bench, her arms folded beneath her head. "As if you could. You might'of push me around before but not anymore."

Makoto was fuming while Shishini watched calculating from the side.

"What do you think you have that could stand up to us?" Shishini asked.

Hikari smirked and closed her eyes as she felt two familiar chakra prints come up from behind.

"Now that would be us," Yotaro said mocking Makoto's speech habit.

"Hn," Itachi said as he glared hard at Makoto.

"You had better go Yamataro-san," Hikari said without opening her eyes. "It would be pretty bad for you to miss the first exam."

Makoto scowled. "Now, this isn't over ghost girl." He said before he turned to Itachi. "Watch yourself freak. I may be letting you off this time, but next time I'll kill you."

Itachi smirked. "Try."

Makoto turned on his heel and stomped towards the exit of the park. Shishini hesitated just long enough to lean in towards Yotaro.

"Last time I held back. Next time I won't," He said his eyes glinting with malice.

Yotaro said nothing as Shishini turned to follow his younger cousin but at his side his right hand clenched into a tight fist. That was no empty threat. Next time they all met those boys would be out for blood.

Glancing to the side Yotaro shared a nod with Itachi. They would be ready.

"Oi, Itachi-baka!" Hikari said as she sat up. "Where's my ice cream!"

Itachi blinked before he looked down at his empty hands. Yotaro chuckled. "You gave it to that kid when you rushed over here to save your damsel in distress."

"Shut up," Itachi said; his harsh tone belied by the miniscule blush across the bridge of his nose.

Hikari sighed. "Oh well, I guess you'll just have to go get me another one."

Itachi scowled. "Why should I?"

"Now, now Itachi," Yotaro said as he pushed the other boy towards the park entrance. "It's best to just do as she says. We wouldn't want her to hurt herself again because she was trying to hurt you, would we?"

"Hn."

Yotaro smiled back at Hikari over his shoulder. "We'll be back in a minute Kari-chan. Try and stay out of trouble."

Hikari's only response was to playfully stick out her tongue before she once again lay back across the bench to relax.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

After Kyo had returned from his errands he led the boys to the inn where they would be staying. Despite her protests that she 'actually could walk' and 'this is really embarrassing' Itachi was forced to take his turn to carry his injured teammate. Although his opinion on the matter was made perfectly clear when he dropped her on the area rug in the middle of their rented room.

Hikari scowled up at Itachi as she gingerly rubbed her tender rear.

"You know, you could have at least dropped me on the bed Itachi-baka."

Itachi simply shrugged.

Kyo chuckled as he lifted his cousin up from the floor and set her gently on the large king sized bed. Once she was comfortable he gently rubbed her head, messing up her short hair.

"You guys behave alright? I'll be in the next room over if you need me."

Yotaro blinked. "You mean you aren't going to stay in here with us?"

"No, of course not." Kyo said with a laugh. "There's no room."

Itachi's eye twitched. "Are you saying that I am going to be sharing a _bed_ with that idiot?"

"Yotaro will be staying in here too." Kyo reasoned. "Have him sleep between you."

Itachi glared at Hikari from the corner of his eye before he finally gave a reluctant nod. "So long as she stays away from me."

Hikari scoffed. "Like I'd want to sleep near you anyway Itachi-baka. I'll bet you kick!"

"I do not."

"Do so!"

Itachi scowled. "How would you know? You've never slept with me before!"

"Because you kick! I'll bet you even snore!"

"Fine! I'll prove to you that I'm a good sleeper!" Itachi said, his face red with irritation. "You will sleep beside me!"

"Fine!" Hikari said. "But don't cry when I say 'I told you so'!"

"Fine!"

"Well," Yotaro said. "If that's settled, then I'm taking the left side."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Keep up Haruno," Itachi said. "You're slowing us down."

Hikari scowled as she struggled to pick up her pace as she and her teammates leapt from tree to tree in an effort to complete this excruciating exam. The sounds of dozens of others, friend and foe alike, filled the trees around them causing her heart to pound hard in her ears.

Where would the next attack come from? The right? The left?

Suddenly, without warning, Yotaro cried out in pain as again and again thousands of kunai tor at his young skin. Hikari's eyes were wide and she skid to an abrupt stop as she stared on in terror. Where had the attack come from? Why didn't she sense anything?

Yotaro gave another yell and Hikari abruptly snapped out of her terror and tried to move forward in an attempt to offer some help. She gasped when she realized that she couldn't move, and looking down she saw why. The bark of the tree branch had crept up her feet until she was bound to the branch up to her ankles. Frantically she struggled to free herself as more and more wounds opened up on her teammates body.

"Itachi!" She screamed. "Itachi do something!"

But there was no answer.

Denial grasped her as she struggled in vain to be released. She screamed every name she could think of that could possibly arrive to provide her friend aid, but it was all for not. The attacks continued relentlessly, with no one there to answer her calls.

"No!" She cried out. "Stop it! Leave him alone!" But her voice echoed dead in only her own ears as Yotaro finally, overcome by the pain, collapsed in a heap of blood. Impossibly, Hikari heard his heart beat its last few notes before its echo faded completely.

"Why!" She screamed. "Why did you do this! Who are you!"

Red eyes glowed hot through the darkness, piercing strait through Hikari's heart. Her pulse raced and her head grew heavy with fear as she watched this person, this demon, slowly approach from the shadows. He looked familiar but before she was able to fully recognize him the branch binding her feet suddenly disappeared and she was falling…

Falling….

Falling…

XXXXXXXXXXX

"NOOOO!!" Hikari cried out as she jerked awake. Her pulse was racing and she quickly pressed her palms to her chest as though that action alone would calm her rapidly beating heart. Next to her Itachi and Yotaro had already snapped awake, their eyes alert for anyone who may have caused any harm to their youngest team member.

"What's wrong Hikari?" Yotaro asked once he realized there was no immediate danger. "Was there someone here?"

Hikari didn't answer as she stared at Yotaro in dumb shock before she suddenly launched herself into his arms with a heavy sob.

"Hikari!" Yotaro yelped as quietly as he could while he sent a frantic glance towards the door that divided them from their sensei.

"You're okay…" She whispered into his yellow sleep shirt. "I'm so glad that you're okay…"

Over the top of Hikari's head Itachi and Yotaro shared a glance; exchanging a quiet conversation. Yotaro gave a slight nod before he slowly loosened his grip so that Itachi could reach forward and rest his hands on her shoulders.

Hikari started for only a second before she recognized Itachi's touch and allowed him to pull her back against his chest. Now that he was able to see her properly Yotaro knelt in front of her and gently wiped the tears from her cheeks.

"Now," He said. "What happened Hikari?"

"I…I'm not s-sure…" She said with a sniff. "I-I think that we were at-at th-the exam, but th-then Yotaro-k-kun was attacked and I couldn't find It-tachi and…and…Yotaro-kun…you-you…died…"

Itachi visibly relaxed while Yotaro let out a sigh of relief.

"Is that all Hikari? You just had a nightmare?"

"A…nightmare?"

"Yeah," Yotaro said. "You know, a bad dream."

"A bad…dream…" She slowly shook her head. "It was to be a dream…"

"But it was," Yotaro said, his voice calming. "We haven't taken the exam yet, Itachi is right behind you, and look at me Hikari." He said taking her hands gently. "I'm okay. I'm alive."

There were several minutes of tense silence before Hikari finally nodded.

"Okay…" She said. "You're right…"

Yotaro gave her a light smile before he and Itachi coaxed her to lie down. Without words the two boys each made the decision to have Itachi and Hikari switch placed so that she was lying between the two instead of on the outer edge of the bed.

"Sleep Hikari," Yotaro said. "You're safe. Besides, tomorrow is the opening ceremony so you'll need plenty of rest."

"Thank-you…" Hikari muttered as sleep already began to claim her.

Once she was finally asleep again Yotaro looked up at Itachi who was gently stroking the back of Hikari's hand with the thumb of the hand she held tightly in her grasp.

"What do you think Itachi?" He asked, his voice barely a whisper. "Is it only a dream?"

Itachi was silent for a moment before he looked up. "I think so." He said. "Hikari has shown no affinity for premonitions before. More than likely her mind is simply creating a situation based upon her fears." He paused. "However, it would be in our best interest to be wary all the same."

Yotaro nodded. "My thoughts exactly. I don't know why, but for some reason I have a bad feeling about this exam."

"Hn." Itachi said as he lay back down to sleep even as his mind wholeheartedly agreed with his teammate.

Something in this exam, was _definitely_ not right.

End Chapter Nineteen

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Kaliea: So who all expected Hikari just to blow of Makoto and Shishini? Unfortunately, as the boys said before, this won't be the last time that their paths meet. Also since the boys are participating in the chuunin exam they will need another member. Who is their third teammate and why have we never met them before? And more importantly, what role will that teammate play in the dark game of life and death?

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Review Answers:

Hiei-Touya-icedemon:

I'm glad that you enjoyed the chapter so much. And I'm especially glad that you enjoy my humor. Remind me to tell you where to find my book once I finally manage to get it published, the whole thing is practically humor.

Also, I did take a look at CALANDER and I must admit that I was holding my sides to keep them from spitting. I'm glad you recommended it. I was in need of a good laugh. Anyway, I hope that you enjoyed the latest installment. Thanks for your review!

angelicnw2005: Big words are fun. I like using them because it makes people think I'm smarter then I actually am. This is good because then I can act smart without ever having to do anything to become that way :) I'm glad that you enjoyed the chapter. As for Makoto…well, he has a big role to play in the future of this story, but at the moment that is all I can say.

Danny-171984: People that stand out (like little girls with white hair) are easy targets because you can get a lot of people to join in on the tormenting. I think that's a lot of the reason why Sakura was picked on as well. I figure that anyone would be wary of someone who had a strange hair color (like most of the Harunos. The only ones that are normal are the ones with fire or no element at all) skin color, etc. That doesn't make it right, it just makes it really easy.

Dragon Man 180: Not yet, but in the close future Makoto will quite seriously get what is coming to him. As for Koko, she isn't meant to be a main character, just an annoying obstacle for Iruka (and others) to overcome.

T34rSoFBlOoD: Boy, a lot of people sure are wishing for Makoto's utter demise. I guess I did something right in portraying him after all. And don't worry, just because he didn't get beat up in this chapter doesn't mean it isn't coming later.

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Kaliea: Well, that's all for this chapter. Thanks for all of your reviews and I'll look forward to the new ones. Till next time, ja ne! 


	20. Chapter 20

**Dark and Light:** _The Story of Itachi and Hikari_

Chapter Twenty

The sound of excited tourists and shop vendors pushing their wears drifted into the complete silence of the outdoors amphitheater where the participants of the Chuunin exam had gathered for the opening ceremony where they would learn the rules and proceedings of the upcoming examination.

Hikari anxiously bounced from foot to foot, excited for both the start of the exam and her ability to use her right leg once again. She had been quite delighted when Kyo had come in first thing that morning and informed her that he had arranged for her to go and see a regeneration expert who would be able to completely repair the damage to her knee. She had all but dragged her cousin from the room as she tried to hop out the door and down the hall before Kyo had finally just scooped her up into his arms and told the boys that they were to go straight to the theater.

Yotaro had promised that they would so after changing their clothes he and Itachi left the rented room with Itachi sliding the key into his pocket for safekeeping. The walk from the hotel to the theater had been slightly perilous for the boys since the excited masses of people never bothered to look down as they walked. Yotaro had finally lost count of how many people had either run into or run over both young nins before a familiar chuckle reached their ears.

"You two look like you might need a bit of help." Iruka said when the boys turned to look at him. Yotaro smiled sheepishly while Itachi just looked away with an 'hn' and a slight shrug. Iruka chuckled again before he reached down and turned Yotaro around so he could lift the younger boy up onto his shoulders.

"Whoa!" Yotaro said in surprise as he grasped tightly at Iruka's forehead to keep from falling off. Another laugh was heard but this time it was Mizuki.

"Oh sure Iruka," He said with a grin. "Leave me to carry the grouchy one."

Itachi glared. "I do not need 'carried'." He said. "I am more than capable of making my way to the theater by myself."

Mizuki just ignored the boy and lifted him up so that he was settled on his shoulders the same way Yotaro was on Iruka's.

"Sorry kid," He said. "But we promised your sensei that we would have you to the opening ceremony on time."

"Hn," Itachi said; irritated.

Yotaro just laughed because, despite his friends annoyed presence, he could still make out the slight blush of embarrassment that had slid across the bridge of Itachi's nose. Itachi made it a heavy point to appear unaffected by his forced position as he sat tall and ridged on Mizuki's shoulders, his arms stubbornly crossed before his chest in a refusal to stable himself further. Iruka chuckled as he looked away from the young Uchiha to scan the crowd around them.

Everyone was pushing forwards in an attempt to get a decent seat on the theatre benches. Most of the seats were already filled with exam hopefuls and their team leaders as they sat and anxiously waited for the head examiner to arrive.

"Make sure you boys keep a look out for Kyo-san alright?" Iruka said. "We don't want to miss them."

As soon as Iruka finished Yotaro pointed out over the heads of the crowds, his eyes focused on the bouncing/waving figure of Hikari.

"I found Hikari, Iruka-sensei!" Yotaro said and Iruka gently patted the boy's knee.

"Good job Yotaro-kun. With eyes like that you'll be able to pass the Chuunin exam with no problems."

Yotaro beamed.

Out of curiosity Itachi glanced over to where Yotaro was pointing and snorted.

"Oh please," He said. "Like anyone could miss her if they wanted too."

Iruka had to admit that Itachi had a point as he watched the young Haruno heir jumping up and down on one of the benches with her arms waving madly in the air. Her face was beaming and her shoulder-length hair whipped around her face as she moved causing her to pause every now and again to push the strands behind her ears. Yotaro was the first to reach the energetic girl after Iruka had set him at the end of the bench so that he could head over to where Hikari was jumping beside Kyo.

"Look, look, Yotaro-kun!" Hikari said as she hiked up her skirt to show off her bare calf. "It's all fixed!"

"Hikari!" Iruka said as he gently pushed her leg back down. "That isn't lady-like."

"Why?" Hikari said. "I'm wearing shorts so it's not like I was being indecent."

Iruka just sighed before shaking his head. "Well anyway, Mizuki and I had better go and find Takanaka-sensei and…Koko."

Hikari's nose wrinkled up in disgust at the mention of the girl before she patted Iruka on the arm in sympathy.

"If I was bigger I'd kick her face for you Iruka-sensei."

Mizuki snickered behind his hand while Iruka awkwardly rubbed at his scar, his face a light pink from embarrassment.

"Um…thanks Hikari. I appreciate that."

Hikari beamed brightly as Iruka patted her head gently before he turned and left in search of his own sensei. For the next few minutes she alternately talked about her healed leg and Iruka's gratitude to the point where even Yotaro was beginning to grow slightly irritated. Fortunately, before she could start on another tirade about how 'totally weird' it was to see her skin melt back together, the exam proctor stepped up to the podium at the center of the amphitheater floor in order to gain everyone's attention.

Kyo swiftly shushed Hikari and for once she didn't seem to mind as she anxiously dropped to her seat and leaned forward so that she would be able to both see and hear better. Yotaro and Itachi too were anxious for the proctor to begin and it showed on their faces. Albeit, less on Itachi's then it did on Yotaro's.

"Welcome to this year's exam young hopefuls. My name is Tsukiomi Taichi."

Hikari's eyes widened in terror at the utter sadistic-ness that was contained in the man's voice; as far as she was concerned the man couldn't have sounded more terrifying if he had been the devil himself welcoming her to hell.

"Part one of the exam will commence at sundown." Taichi smirked. "I won't tell you what it is. That would ruin the…surprise."

Hikari shuddered.

"Following the first exam the survivors will regroup outside of area 68, the Death Swamp; so named for reasons that you unlucky few will soon discover. Those of you that actually make it that far will be given your orders at that point in time. Until then you have twenty minutes to prepare to separate from your sensei. I would suggest you take the time to receive any last minute survival advice. You'll need it."

Team four was silent for several seconds before Kyo finally spoke up; unease written all over his pale face.

"I think entering you three in this may have been a bad idea."

"No kidding," Yotaro said while Itachi just shoved his hands in his pockets and looked away.

"Do you think it would be okay if we just…I dunno…leave?" Hikari said, everything about her screaming for her cousin to agree. Instead Kyo just sighed as he massaged his forehead with his fingers.

"It's not that easy," Kyo said. "In the past when a team would suddenly pull from a Chuunin exam at the last minute it was usually a declaration for war. That was mostly because the hosting village feared an attack from the home village of the forfeiting team and would launch a pre-emptive strike. Adding to that the fact that we have the Uchiha heir on our team and we may as well spell the end of Konoha right now."

"Then if you knew that then why did you bring us to a village with such a dangerous exam?" Yotaro said. "I know you think we're good but overestimating our abilities stops being flattering in situations like this."

Again Kyo sighed before he spoke. "I was told by Sandaime-sama that the exams for the Mist village have significantly lessened in violence and danger after an incident that took place a few years ago. Believe me when I say that I was certain you wouldn't be put in any unnecessary danger."

"Ch, we're here now. What is the point in debating about politics?" Itachi said.

"Itachi's right," Yotaro said. "We'll just have to do like we always do and fight our way to the finish line."

Hikari smiled at her teammates uncertainly before she slowly nodded. "Yeah. After all, that's how we became a team in the first place right?"

Yotaro nodded. "Right!"

Kyo couldn't help but marvel at his team. They were at least half the age of most of the exam's participants but they were still willing to push forward. He would have, of course, pulled them from the exam right off and completely screwed the consequences if the told him that they really didn't think that they could do it, and even though they knew that they were still willing to go through the exam. Life or death though it may be.

A sudden lump formed in Kyo's throat as he looked down at the innocent faces of the children before him. How many times had he forgotten that that is all they were? Just children. A sick feeling settled in his gut and he knew that if anything happened to any of these kids that he would never forgive himself.

"Kyo-nii?"

Kyo shifted from his thoughts to look down at the face of his young cousin who stared up at him with curiosity and (why hadn't he noticed it before) hero-worship. Slowly he went down on one knee to gently caress Hikari's white tresses before he turned to Itachi to ruffle his hair before finally moving his attention to Yotaro. Gently he tapped the younger boy under the chin with the side of his fist.

"I'm trusting you to keep an eye on these two." Kyo said, his voice gentle but firm. "But while you're at it, keep a close eye on yourself as well. I expect all of you to come back in one piece alright?"

Yotaro grinned his rare, lopsided smile as he gave his teacher a thumbs-up.

"Don't worry Kyo-sensei," He said. "We'll totally come back."

"Yeah," Hikari added. "It's the promise of a life-time!"

A whistle blew, announcing the end of the allotted time. Quickly Kyo drew his young team into a tight hug.

"No matter what happens during this exam, I want you to know that this past year has been the greatest of my life, and I'm so proud of all of you. Remember that."

One by one his students pulled back, but for some reason he held onto Yotaro for an extra minute giving the boy every ounce of love he felt for him through the embrace. He didn't know why, but somehow Kyo got the feeling that if he let go he would never see the young boy again. At the sound of a second whistle the bluette finally pulled back, tapping Yotaro again under his chin.

"You two behave," Kyo said to Hikari and Itachi. "Remember, your enemy is not each other. Also." Kyo paused just long enough to reach out and poke Itachi in the forehead. "Make sure you look out for friendly ninja. Don't be afraid to ask for help, got it?"

Itachi just rubbed his forehead with a scowl before he turned to leave, his teammates fast on his heals.

"Bye-bye, Kyo-nii!" Hikari said as she waved to him over her shoulder. "We'll see you when we're Chuunin!"

Kyo gave a half-hearted wave back before dropping his hand once they were out of view. Once again that sickening feeling had settled in his stomach and he couldn't help but cradle his face with his hands in shame.

"What have I done?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Itachi took in the room where he and his teammates had been gathered with the other teams involved in the examination. It looked like a normal classroom but instead of desks there were only chairs lined up in rows two at a time. Absently he wondered just what they were for but before he could even begin to guess Tsukiomi Taichi stepped up to the front of the room.

"Welcome down the first steps to hell." He said, his grin twice as sadistic as before. "I hope you enjoy it as much as I will."

At his side, Yotaro felt Hikari shudder and he reached out to take her hand in his; smiling down at her as she looked up at him, startled. At the sight of Yotaro's reassuring smile, Hikari couldn't help but squeeze his hand slightly and smile back.

"Your first task will be to single out a member of your team." Both Itachi and Yotaro glanced over at Hikari before Taichi continued. "Good, now that you've all chosen your next task will be to sacrifice that member of your team. The two remaining members of your team will take a seat to continue on with the exam while the third is…disposed of. Any of you who refuse to comply will be treated accordingly."

At once fights began to break out amongst the teams as every member tried to force another to become the unwilling sacrifice. Even amidst the chaos team four couldn't help but stare in horror at the proctor. That couldn't be the only way, could it?

"Hey you guys?" Hikari said, her voice low and scared. "You two should be the ones to stay. I'm always the one slowing you down right? At least that way—."

"Shut up!" Itachi said. "We're all continuing or none of us are, got it! Don't say stupid things!"

"I agree, though not in those exact words. After all, we're a team right? We'll fight through everything together; in life and in death."

Hikari's lip trembled and she quickly scrubbed the tears from her eyes before smiling brightly up at her teammates. "Thanks guys. Honestly, I'm really glad you feel that way cause if I gotta die I really don't wanna do it alone."

Itachi snorted.

"You're never alone," Yotaro said as he looped his arm around her shoulders. "Your stuck with us for good."

"Decision time is over!" Taichi said over the frantic voices of the examinees. "Sit down!"

Out of the forty-three teams entered in the exam only six remained standing; all of their members completely intact. Taichi sneered.

"So you all plan to be noble, do you? 'All for one' and all that nonsense. Well if that is the case then you may all exit through the door at the rear. You will be dealt with once I have finished in here."

Out of all of the genin exiting the room, Itachi and Yotaro were the only ones that managed to completely hide their fear and the only reason for that was because they knew that they needed to be strong for Hikari who was shaking like a leaf in the midst of a hurricane. Silently both boys took each of her hands in their own before sharing a dark glance over her head. No matter what happened, they weren't planning on dieing without one hell of a fight.

End Chapter Twenty

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Kaliea: Alrighty! Sorry it took so long guys. This chapter was sooo hard to write. Anyway, I hope that you all enjoyed it. Don't forget to review!

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Review Answers:

Kayamie1224: Thank-you. Me too ;)

grim reaper sakura: I agree, but first I'm sure you'll agree that seeing what becomes of team four is far more important.

Danny-171984: Actually, Itachi and Yotaro are eight while Hikari is still just seven. However Hikari will be eight September third, while both Yotaro and Itachi turned eight in June (Yotaro the first and Itachi the ninth). Right now it's around mid August.

Dragon Man 180: Ah, that is a question that I am sure will be answered sometime in the future when Hikari deems that information necessary to reveal.

slstmaraudersjple: Kind of. If you've read HofH then you'll get a better idea of what she can do but to sum up quickly she sensed a very powerful aura that warped her dreams. More will be explained about that in later chapters.

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Kaliea: Thanks for all of your reviews! I look forward to reading more of them (hint, hint). Until next time, ja ne!


	21. Chapter 21

**Dark and Light:** The Story of Itachi and Hikari

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Chapter Twenty One

The room was dark and creepy and, as expected, the door slammed shut behind them with an ominous 'boom'. Yotaro felt Hikari's hand jerk in his and he figured she must have jumped at the sudden sound. Not that he could really blame her. Unconsciously he pushed closer to Hikari, unknowingly sandwiching the poor girl tightly between himself and Itachi.

"Ack!" Hikari said. "Yotaro-kun! Itachi-baka! I can't breathe!"

"Hikari-chan?" A familiar voice called through the darkness. "Is that you?"

At her sides Hikari felt Yotaro and Itachi stiffen for a fight as they saw the darkness ripple for a moment as three figures entered into their limited line of sight.

"Iruka-sensei!" Hikari said. "You came here too? But this was your chance to make Koko-baba gone forever!"

Iruka and Mizuki each coughed back a light laugh as Koko scowled down at the shorter girl.

"Who are you calling a hag you little brat?" Koko said.

"I _did_ say **your** name Koko-_**baba**_." Hikari said her hands now planted on her hips.

Before Koko could retort back Iruka quickly intervened.

"I have spent the last three years teaching students that a ninja would never abandon a comrade Hikari-chan." He said. "I wouldn't make much of a teacher if I refused to follow my own nindo."

Hikari's eyes were practically shooting hearts and stars as she stared up at Iruka in admiration.

"That's so cool Iruka-sensei." Hikari said. "I hope that I get you as my teacher someday."

"Dobe," Itachi said, the corners of his mouth pulled down in a scowl. "If you both pass the exam then you will both be chuunin and he wouldn't be able to be your teacher."

"Shut up Itachi-baka," Hikari said. "I didn't ask you."

Watching their fight break out Yotaro couldn't help but sigh.

"Well," He said. "At least she isn't scared anymore…"

At that moment the door flew open and slammed against the wall with an ominous bang. Startled Hikari let out a loud shriek before diving behind Itachi to hid from the sudden intruder. Once team four was able to adjust to the light from the open door way they instantly recognized the man as the proctor from the first exam, Tsukiomi Taichi.

'This is it,' Hikari thought. 'The end of my life has finally come. I'll forever go down in Konoha history as the obnoxious ghost girl that couldn't hack it and dragged the rest of her team down because she was a scaredy-cat loser that couldn't hack it and everyone will look at my picture in text books and the teachers will tell them how they shouldn't be like a ninja girl like me because real ninjas do their duty and don't act selfish by dragging their teammates down just because they couldn't hack it and I don't want to die so Itachi-baka and Yotaro-kun had better help me kick this guys butt! I don't care if I can't hack it at his stupid exam! I'll become a chuunin no matter what this noisy baka says! He can't stop me 'cause he isn't my boss! I'll—!'

"Congratulations. You're all moving on to the next exam."

Hikari's jaw dropped. "That's it! Where's the poison? The torture? The slow, painful, flaming toothpicks that are pushed under our finger—!"

"Shut up Hikari!" Yotaro said as he clapped his hands firmly around her mouth. "Sorry about that Tsukiomi-sensei. She has a weird imagination."

Taichi blinked a few times before he let out a barking laugh. "Weird or not we could use a brain like that in our interrogations department. How bout it girl? Interested in changing loyalties?"

Judging by the redness of her face and the evilness of her glare it was probably a good thing that her response was muffled by Yotaro's hands that were still firmly in place over her mouth. Again Taichi just laughed before he turned his attention to the rest of the ninja gathered in the small room.

"As I said before, you all have passed the first exam. I was actually hoping that you all would decide to sacrifice a teammate so that my interns would be able to have a few more test subjects but it looks like you all have had good jounin instructors." He scowled. "What is the world coming to when kids like you all can get a quality education? In my day there was no such thing as 'for the good of the team' it was 'if they slow you down then slit their throat and move on'. None of this self-righteous, holier then thou, 'I'll risk my neck for my precious persons' crap."

An awkward silence filled the room as the gathered genin exchanged glances as though wondering just what exactly they were supposed to say to something like that. Finally Hikari broke the silence and put everything that they were all thinking into words.

"You need a cat."

Okay, maybe not _everything_, everything.

"I find it very irritating that everyone keeps telling me that." Taichi said. "Has it ever occurred to you people that maybe I prefer dogs over smelly, shedding, domineering cats?"

Another awkward silence resounded before a lanky blond boy from the hidden rock village spoke up.

"Do you?"

"No," the instructor said. "But I could."

Everyone sweatdropped.

"Are you saying weird things again Taichi?" an unfamiliar voice said from behind the tall man. "I swear you would be able to do your interrogation job so much better if you just kept your mouth shut and looked intimidating."

"Aiko," Taichi said with a scowl. "What do you want?"

Aiko huffed. "Really, Tai, is that anyway to talk to your wife?"

"Right. To what do I owe the honor of your presence, love of my life?"

Someone in the back of the room gagged causing a wave of giggles to wash over the small crowd of genin before they were instantly quieted by Taichi's glare.

"I'm the proctor for the second exam, Tai, or did you forget? Now get out of here so I can start my test."

Taichi scowled as he started out the door. "Fine. Wench."

Aiko responded by simply throwing her exam book at the back of her husband's head before she turned to face the group with a bright smile.

"Well now, as I'm sure you all know by now my name is Tsukiomi Aiko and that fool of a bully that just left is my idiotic husband. Also I will be your proctor for the next exam. I hope that you all will do your best!"

"She sure is perky," Mizuki said.

"Yes," Iruka agreed. "She sort of reminds me of another girl that I know."

"Really?" Hikari said. "Who?"

Itachi rolled his eyes. "Idiot."

"Now if you all will please come up to the front when I call your village and team number then I will set you up with your 'civilian' and you will be led to the starting position outside of area 92 the Life Swamp."

A redheaded girl from the Hidden Tree village hesitantly raised her hand and, beaming Aiko motioned in her direction.

"Yes? You have a question, um…?"

"Um…y-yes. I'm Tora Mami. Not that I'm complaining, but I thought the second exam was supposed to take place in the Death Swamp, not the Life Swamp."

"Oh, well you see the Life Swamp actually is the Death Swamp. I just think that 'Life Swamp' is a much nicer name, don't you?"

Mami smiled.

"Now if there are no more questions then I'll begin with the assignments." Opening the book on the desk she set her fingers on the pages and began to call out. "Kigakure no Sato: team 9."

Mami and her team moved forward quickly and were escorted through the door by a chuunin. Aiko continued.

"Iwagakure no Sato: team 1." The blond rock village boy from earlier quickly moved forward with his team before they also disappeared with a chuunin examiner.

"Kusagakure no Sato: team 5." The group of grass nins quickly left.

"Konohagakure no Sato: team 4." Both Iruka's group and Itachi's group moved forward at once only to pause in surprise.

"They called 'team 4' not 'team loser'." Koko said as she tossed her hair over her shoulder.

"We are team 4 Koko-_baba_." Hikari said. "Get your ears checked!"

Yotaro sighed. "Her ears have nothing to do with this Hikari. And obviously this is just a misunderstanding. Since the teams are renumbered every year starting from 1 it isn't illogical that we could both be team 4."

"Right," Iruka said. "Why don't you three go first? We can wait."

Once again stars appeared in Hikari's eyes as she 'fangirled' up at Iruka.

"No, no, no!" she said. "We couldn't possibly Iruka-sama! You guys go ahead, we'll be fine!"

Itachi's eye twitched in irritation at the same time that Iruka and Yotaro both sweatdropped.

"'Iruka-sama'?" Mizuki said with a smirk. "Whatever happened to just 'sensei'?"

"Well it's like Itachi-baka said, we're both on the same level so Iruka-sama isn't really my sensei right?"

"Uhh…right…Um, maybe you could just call me…Kun?"

Hikari practically sparkled. "Alright Iruka-kun."

"Team 4?" Aiko said. "Is there a problem."

"Nah, no problem," Mizuki said. "We're coming."

Koko all but stomped from the room and was quickly followed by a blushing Iruka and a still snickering Mizuki.

Aiko was calling the next group who were the only participants still involved who were from the Mist village but none of the younger team 4 were interested as Yotaro finally broke down into laughter and Itachi continued to scowl at Hikari who was still 'sparkling' at the door where Iruka had disappeared.

"Stop drooling Haruno," Itachi said. "You're losing your dignity."

"Hmph," Hikari said, crossing her arms. "You're just jealous that Iruka-sama is better then you, that's all."

Itachi's eye twitched again. "I thought you stopped calling him 'sama'."

"Only to his face just 'cause he asked me too. In private, though, he'll always be my Iruka-sama."

"What private?" Itachi said. "You're telling everyone that!"

"Well who asked you to listen Itachi-_baka_!"

"Stop _calling_ me that, you annoying, obnoxious, loud, stupid, _stupid_, **stupid** girl!"

Hikari blinked, stunned. "S-sorry."

"Team 4?" Aiko said, her voice hesitant. "I've been calling you."

Hikari didn't wait to respond as she raced from the door leaving Itachi behind with a glowering Yotaro.

"You jerk." Yotaro said. "Sometimes I really wouldn't blame her if she actually hated you."

Itachi couldn't help but silently agree as he followed his teammates through the door.

* * *

Kaliea: Yes, yes, I know it's short. Deal with it. At least it's an update. Sorry for my snappishness; I am so beyond not feeling well at the moment. It sucks. I'll deal. Anyway, I hope you liked the chapter despite the shortness. Please review.

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Review Answers:

grim reaper sakura: He is a good sensei. Although he doesn't deal well with tragedies as you will see later.

Dragon Man 180: Oh believe me Mizuki would have been more then happy to dump Koko and move on. Iruka was the only reason why she didn't get ditched. Lucky for her he has a conscience

Mikomi: To my greatest fortune I was able to stumble upon something from the Microsoft site that linked my 2007 to my 2003. I don't know what exactly it was (I downloaded like a million things) but it worked.

Danny-171984: Thanks. It was pretty touch and go for a while but I pulled through.

Rynx:Thanks for your encouragement. Actually I did find my muse and to my great satisfaction the chapter actually turned out for the better.

Lady Okori: Yeah, that about sums it up.

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Kaliea: Thanks for all of your reviews! I love getting them! Till next time, Ja ne!


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter Twenty-two

It wasn't hard for Itachi to notice that Hikari was avoiding him since there were only so many places that the team could wait for their jounin representative to assign them a 'civilian'. As they waited several more rules were laid down for them to follow. Most were common sense such as no disqualified teams were to compete and if their 'civilian' was 'killed' then they would have to drop out of the exam. Also they were told that if by any chance a member of their own team was killed or to injured to go on they would all be disqualified.

Though she didn't say anything, Hikari imagined that if one of her teammates were to die the last thing on her mind would be wanting to finish the examination, anyhow. She was soon pulled from her thoughts when Momoshiro Sato, their jounin representative, continued.

"Once all of the teams are positioned around the Death Swamp the signal will be given for you to enter with your civilian. There are several training ninjas positioned inside of the swamp along with a great deal of traps. Your objective is to make it from the outer edges of the swamp to the central tower before the end of 120 hours, or five days. No food with be provided, you will have to fend for yourselves, and you should be on your guard at all times. I would recommend a system for the night watch." Momoshiro paused. "Any questions?"

No one said anything and he nodded in satisfaction before forming several seals. Hikari blinked in surprise when he suddenly bit his thumb, drawing blood, before slamming his joined hands on the ground.

"Kuchiose no jutsu!"

A cloud of smoke filled the room for several seconds before it cleared to reveal Momoshiro standing with a beautiful snowy owl perched on his arm.

"This is Murasami. He will be your 'civilian'. If he disappears then that will count as a 'death' and your team will fail the exam. Remember that there are trained Chuunin in the forest that will be attempting to ambush you with the intent of 'killing' Murasami. Take good care of him."

"Oh, oh, oh!" Hikari said, suddenly forgetting any feelings of apprehension that she may have had. "I wanna hold it! I'll take good care of it!"

"Sorry to be rude little girl but I'll have you know that my name is Murasami," the owl said sharply. "And I don't appreciate being called 'it'."

She blushed. "Oh, ah…gomen nasai Murasami-san."

Yotaro chuckled at Hikari's actions only to jump when Murasami suddenly leapt from Momoshiro's arm to land on his shoulder.

"You're a curious mortal," He said, his sharp silver eyes seeming to bore in to Yotaro's own deep brown ones. "And very familiar."

Yotaro seemed slightly uncomfortable by the owl's proximity but tried to laugh it off. "Y-yeah, uh…you're pretty interesting too. I mean, I've never met a talking owl before…"

If Murasami could have lifted an eyebrow he would have. "Well since you have probably never met a spirit or demon before I would imagine that you haven't."

"Get acquainted in the swamp," Momoshiro said startling the two children from their interest. "We need to get you four in position for the start."

Hikari quickly sidled up to Yotaro leaving Itachi to walk irritably behind as Momoshiro led them from the room.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

When Momoshiro left them at their assigned gate, Hikari couldn't help but look around for the other teams. She had thought that they would all enter the swamp through the same gate but apparently there was either more then one or they would all be going in at different times. The sound of rustling metal broke her from her thoughts and she looked over at the gate just in time to see an unknown chuunin remove the chain from where it had been wrapped around the gate door to keep it closed.

"Hi. My name's Tsukiomi Hana. You already know my parents, they're the examiners." The girl said with a bright smile and a light bow. "Anyway, I thought I'd introduce myself since I'm going to be one of the training nins inside of the swamp. It's nice to meet you!"

Hikari returned the bow with a smile of her own. "I'm Haruno Hikari." She said. "The one holding Murasami-san is Yotaro, he's really special 'cause he doesn't have a clan name, and the stupid looking jerk over there is Uchiha Itachi, he thinks he special _because_ of his clan name."

Hana hid a smile behind her fist as she nodded down at the small group. "It's really nice to meet you all. I hope that you do well."

"Oh don't worry Hana-chan," Hikari said. "We'll all do perfect! Except for Itachi-baka who'll do halfway perfect."

Itachi's eye twitched in irritation and he crossed his arms with a scowl. "Are you picking a fight, dobe?"

"Duh," Hikari said as she stuck out her tongue. "And you call me slow, Itachi-baka."

The two glared at each other for a moment before Itachi turned away with a short laugh, a small smile on his lips. Hikari grinned brightly and flashed a peace sign with a wink.

"Apology accepted!"

Yotaro let out a sigh of relief as he dragged his fingers through his hair.

"It's about time," he said. "I was beginning to think that you would stay mad at him for the entire hour."

"I wasn't really _mad_ at him," Hikari said. "I was disappointed that he was being such a jerk to me. You usually don't yell Itachi-baka."

"He usually doesn't feel the need to get jealous." Yotaro said. Itachi shot him a glare but he just smiled innocently even as his eyes told the Uchiha heir that he deserved everything he got.

Hana cleared her throat with a small cough, successfully returning the kids attention to herself as she put her hand on the gate.

"The exam is going to begin at the sound of the whistle. You guys will have five days to make it to the tower but don't dawdle. Most teams get disqualified because they think that they have a lot more time then they really do." Hana pause for a moment as she watched the kids line up in front of the open gate. She looked down at her watch. "Ready? And…" A whistle sounded in the distance and Hana jerked the gate open wide. "GO!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The days past relatively quickly as team four slowly, but surely, made their way to the middle of the swamp where the central tower was located. They were already three days into the exam but according to Yotaro their position was good. Apparently if they kept up there current pace they would be at the tower by noon on the fourth day. This was good news for the boys but it was great news for Hikari.

"Uwahh!" Hikari said as she flopped down on a log beside their camp. "I can not wait to take a real bath! I smell like…like…you guys!"

Yotaro snorted and he reached down to ruffle her short white hair. "You're such a girl Hikari."

"Well I would hope so! That's what my mom's been telling me my whole life!"

"I'll take first watch," Itachi said, cutting of his teammate's banter. "Yotaro can have second and Hikari third."

Hikari scowled. "You just want first so you don't gotta wake up early."

Itachi just shrugged.

Their first night the team hadn't really thought about setting up a watch system and had, instead, just settled on the traps that they had laid down before turning in to alert them to any strangers. If Yotaro hadn't woken up to go to the bathroom sometime around midnight they would have been caught completely unawares by the duo of training nins that had slipped passed their precautions with practiced ease. Fortunately the small group was much better at hand to hand then they were at laying traps. Except for Yotaro, of course, who was perfectly proficient in both. It was his hidden pitfall that ultimately decided the out come of that battle.

Once Hikari and Yotaro had settled down to sleep Itachi positioned himself in a tree just above them where he could watch the camp on all sides. Glancing down he noticed that their 'civilian', a snowy owl called Murasami, was watching him with his bright silver eyes; never once blinking. Itachi's eyebrow rose.

"What?" He said, his voice a mere whisper but Murasami caught it easily. Spreading his wings the owl took flight and pushed upwards so that he could land on a branch protruding out beside the boy's head.

"You have an interesting aura young Uchiha. Have you accessed them?"

"Why does that concern you?"

"It doesn't," Murasami said. "But it will concern your friends very soon."

Itachi tensed ever so slightly as he glared at the bird from the corner of his eye. "In what way exactly?"

"In the usual way I suppose," Murasami said, his voice thoughtful. "The life or death one."

Before Itachi had time to retort he sensed something flying his way just in time to drop sideways from the branch before a kunai lodged into the bark, handle deep. Flipping in mid air he managed to land in a light crouch right next to Yotaro who he immediately set about waking. Instantly the other boy snapped to attention, his chocolate colored eyes scanning the area even as he reached into his back pouch to pull out his own kunai.

'What is it?' Yotaro signed to Itachi using the hand signals Kyo made them develop during their first month as a team. 'How many?'

'Not sure,' Itachi signed back. 'Surprise attack. Haven't seen them yet.'

Yotaro nodded and motioned for Itachi to wake Hikari while he kept a look out. The snap of a branch overhead had Yotaro and Itachi's heads snapping up to look for the intruder. Both would have been completely caught unawares by the real attack which came from behind them if a small white bullet hadn't knocked them both painfully out of the way.

"Oww…" Yotaro said as he gently rubbed his head. "Couldn't you be a little gentler?"

"Sure." Murasami said. "The next time I save your life I'll make sure there is a pile of pillows to catch you. Better?"

"Much." Yotaro replied before he quickly rolled to the left and away from the jet of fire that engulfed the area he had just been occupying.

"Don't you think these guys are taking this test just a little bit too seriously?" Yotaro said as he found refuge behind a tree. "They're supposed to be trying to kill the bird, not us!"

Itachi just grunted as he launched a barrage of shurinken at the sketchy shadow of their attacker, only to curse when he easily flickered out of the way. He managed to move away just in time to avoid another jutsu, this time water daggers, aimed at him from behind.

"Just how many of these guys are there?" Yotaro said with a scowl. "If we can't see them then we can't count them and if we can't count them we have no idea what we're up against!"

Itachi was just about to respond when a small groan made both of them freeze.

"Oh hell…" Itachi said as he glanced around his tree. "We forgot about Hikari."

"Now don't worry about her." A sinister voice said from behind.

Slowly both boys turned around to see Makoto and Shishini standing over them; an evil glint shining in their eyes.

"I'm sure my little ghost girl will be just fine. Right Shishini?"

Shishini smirked. "Yeah."

End Chapter Twenty-Two

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Kaliea: So what do you guys think? The next chapter will probably conclude the chuunin exam and then the chapter after that should be the last followed by an epilogue. Wow. I can't believe I'm really almost done…Don't forget to review!

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Review Answers:

Bonbon the Cat: That's okay, I'll be the first to admit that I'm a die hard Itachi fangirl. To bad he's not real…

random person: Thanks. I did a lot of work shaping my characters long before the story even started. The last thing I wanted was for Hikari to be some sort of MarySue or for Yotaro to be a perfect know-it-all.

King Hawke: She does like Itachi. In fact Hikari is very much in love with Itachi, she just admires Iruka a lot because of who he is and what he stands for etc. It's just that, Hikari being Hikari, she manages to overdo her admiration more then just a bit.

Danny-171984: I'll do my best, and I must admit that I've always really wanted to write a jealous Itachi. I just think it's such a funny reaction for him.

TheBeastlyKunoichi: So much jealousy it's almost not funny. Almost. That of course just makes it all the more hilarious.

Dragon Man 180: Not only is she an airhead but she's also blind. I dropped some hints to that but I doubt anyone will catch them. Did you?

Rynx- Too- Genki: I'm glad you enjoy both my chapter and my character. I had a lot of fun writing both. Especially Hikari!

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Kaliea: Thanks so much for all of your reviews! Also, my birthday is coming up soon so I'm going to try and get out a few more chapters for every story, hopefully two for each, before I finally reach the big 2 1. If I'm lucky I might even finish a couple. Till next time, Ja ne!


	23. Chapter 23

**Dark and Light:** _The Story of Itachi and Hikari_

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Chapter 23

Itachi's eyes burned as he glared down the two older boys and he had to resist the urge to rub them. It wasn't so much that they hurt as much as they felt like they should hurt that was the problem. Still, he wasn't about to take his eyes off of Hikari's, and by extension, team four's biggest enemies. Quite literally too. He hadn't realized before just how much the two older boys had grown in the last year. At thirteen they towered over Itachi and Yotaro's small eight year old bodies and they didn't seem the least bit hesitant to use their more impressive height to their advantage.

Out of the corner of his eye Itachi noticed Yotaro slowly inching away since Makoto and Shishini had their attention focused on the Uchiha heir. Recognizing his teammate's intention Itachi stood taller and glared up at the boys in hopes of keeping their attention while Yotaro went to wake Hikari.

"It's strange to see you here." Itachi said. "I wasn't aware that losers were allowed to participate in the winner's game."

Makoto's eyes narrowed and he reached out to grasp Itachi by his collar.

"Don't mess with me you little brat." He said, dropping his usual speech pattern. "Last time you may have caught me off guard but I've met someone very interesting lately. Someone who has told me quite a bit about you."

"Like I care," Itachi said, dropping into a stance. "You could know everything about me and it still would be enough to save you from me killing you."

Makoto smirked as he pulled a kunai from his hip pouch. "We'll see."

The knife flew from Makoto's outstretched hand and Itachi tensed in preparation to deflect it. I wasn't expecting the kunai to fly right past him. At first he was sure that Makoto's aim was just off until he heard Yotaro's voice.

"Hikari!"

Itachi's eyes went wide and for the first time in his life he turned his back on an enemy. Pushing himself quickly around the tree blocking him from his teammates Itachi was just in time to see the kunai dig handle deep into the dirt next to Hikari's left temple. Relief coursed through his veins but was quickly replaced by rage as he turned to face his opponents once again. Itachi had just enough time to jump back to keep Makoto's unexpected swipe from gorging out his eyes but he wasn't fast enough to avoid the line of blood that the tip of the kunai drew across his forehead.

Unexpectedly Shishini had managed to position himself right behind Itachi when he pushed back and his roundhouse kick struck the smaller boy hard at the small of his back sending him careening into the dirt at Makoto's feet. Not wanting to waste any time Makoto flung his kunai downwards at Itachi's neck. A mere second before impact the knife was deflected by a pair of shurinken giving Itachi enough time to move out of Makoto's attack range.

Yotaro's face was tight with fear as he knelt next to Hikari, his left hand still extended from the throw. He hadn't expected Makoto to become so much more aggressive and his advance in speed was phenomenal. Comparing this fight, even as early on as it was, to the one at Ichiraku last year it was almost impossible to believe that they were fighting the same people.

Itachi glanced quickly at Hikari before returning his gaze to Yotaro. A silent conversation passed quickly between them before Itachi cursed mentally and turned back to face Makoto and his cousin. Yotaro wasn't quite sure what was wrong with Hikari but he assumed that one of the two boys must have placed some sort of genjutsu on her to keep her sleeping. Had this been only three weeks ago Yotaro would have quickly nullified the jutsu and Hikari would be back in action in seconds, but because of the mess his chakra coils were he wasn't able to control his chakra enough to focus what he needed into his fingers to dispel the attack. Their only chance of waking Hikari now would be if Itachi could break free long enough to dispel the jutsu himself.

Unfortunately Makoto and Shishini were both quite aware of this fact; though how they received that information was impossible to know, and they were more then happy to delay Itachi at every turn. The power of their combined taijutsu surprised Itachi and he was doing his best just to keep up.

Yotaro, for his part, was torn. He wanted to help Itachi but the idea of leaving Hikari so exposed caused him to hesitate. He didn't know what Makoto's ultimate goal was but he was sure that it involved Hikari in some way and not only that but he still wasn't sure if the two of them were even alone in their attack. When one of Makoto's strikes managed to make it past Itachi's defense Yotaro knew he couldn't wait any longer and, casing a quick apologetic look to Hikari, he jumped up from where he was kneeling over her and raced into the fray.

Shishini was taken completely off guard when Yotaro's flying kick caught him in the side and sent him careening off into the forest. Taking advantage of Makoto's surprise Itachi managed to get in a solid punch to his nose that left the older boy's eyes watering as he stumbled backwards.

"Go to Hikari," Yotaro said. "I'll keep them busy."

Itachi nodded and dropped back to make his way to Hikari's side only to find his way blocked by the most unexpected person.

"I'm really sorry Itachi-chan," Hana said, tears rimming her eyes. "But they'll kill my parents if I don't do what they said."

Itachi didn't show any emotion as he lowered himself once again into a fighting stance and prepared himself to take on the much more experienced chuunin.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Hikari woke slowly, her eyes blurry and unable to make out her surroundings. Slowly her eyesight cleared and she jumped at the appearance of Murasami's large silver eyes hovering just above her face.

"It's about time you woke up, little Light. You're friends are in trouble."

Hikari blinked for a second before the sounds of fighting reached her ears and she suddenly sat up. Her head spun a little from the abrupt movement but she quickly pushed aside her discomfort and took in her surroundings. She could see flashes of Yotaro as he dodged between the trees, the scarce light filtering through the canopy glinting off of his weapons as they flew towards their intended targets. Itachi was closer, only about three meters to her left, but his opponent took her completely by surprise. She hadn't known that Hana was one of the training nins in this exam.

As if reading her thoughts Murasami pecked her once on the forehead in order to gain her attention. Rubbing the sore spot lightly Hikari glared up at Murasami in irritation.

"What was that for?"

"They are not examiners, little Light." Murasami said. "Your friends are in great need of your aid. I did not wake you up for you to simply sit there like an invalid."

Hikari scowled as she pushed herself up to her feet.

"Who's an invalid?" She muttered as she reached into her weapon pouch for a kunai. Murasami didn't reply as he instead disappeared into the trees to follow Yotaro's disappearing form. Still not completely sure of what was going on Hikari quickly moved over to help Itachi, managing to catch Hana off guard by a sharp kick to the back of her knee.

"I don't know what's going on but Murasami said I should kick your butt, even if you are my friend."

"Hikari?" Itachi said. "What the hell are you doing here? You're supposed to be unconscious!"

"What? You don't need my help or something?" Hikari said as she blocked Hana's kunai with her own.

"I didn't say that," Itachi grumbled while jumping high to aim an axe kick to Hana's exposed left shoulder. "But no, I don't."

"Liar," Hikari said spinning around to kick the chuunin hard in her stomach while she was still doubled over from Itachi's attack. "Hana-chan was totally kicking your butt."

Itachi stopped and glared at Hikari hard. "The hell she was! You take that back!"

"No way, Teme!" Hikari said, ignoring Hana who lay gasping on the ground. "You know you would so be dead if I didn't stop to help you! Admit it! You needed me!"

"I need you like I need a bad case of chicken pox!"

"What, you didn't have your immunity shot yet?"

"Gahh! You're so annoying!"

"I am not!"

"Are so!"

"Not!"

"So!"

"Not!"

"So!"

"'Not' always one more then you! Hah! I win!"

"Oh yeah? Well 'so' infinity!"

"You can't do that I already have one more then you!"

Hana wasn't quite sure what to make of this new situation but she was very glad it came about. She knew for a fact she would have lost to their combined attacks. The sudden thought of her parents quickly caused her to groan and she attempted to stand only to fall back to the ground clutching her ribs. Hikari's last kick had been a solid hit and Hana was sure that she had at least two cracked ribs and quite a bit of internal bleeding if the blood from her nose and mouth were any indication at all. At this rate she wouldn't be able to continue the fight and then her parents would die.

Pushing aside her pain, Hana twisted around to rifle through her weapon pouch. Finding what she was looking for, Hana couldn't stop the tears of regret from overflowing from her eyes as she watched the two young ninjas argue. They were so young; not even nine years old. Pulling the explosive note from her bag she could only wish that it didn't have to come to this.

Itachi managed to catch Hana's movement off to the side and turned to finish her off when he caught sight of what she was doing. Eyes going wide, Itachi turned to Hikari and scooped her up into his arms just as the note exploded, sending a shower of flames and debris falling into the once wooded clearing.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Yotaro grunted in annoyance when Shishini managed to catch him across the arm with a kunai. Jumping backwards the younger nin escaped into the trees in an effort to put some distance between himself and his attackers. He had just reached a group of trees lining a wide river when an explosion rocked the tree he was standing on to its roots causing him to lose his balance on the branch and fall. Fortunately there was another branch just below and he managed to catch it on his way down, using his momentum to swing up to relative safety.

Worried over the cause of the explosion, Yotaro was caught off guard when Makoto dropped from the trees to land on the branch with him. Makoto swept wide with his leg, just barely missing Yotaro's head as he pushed backwards away from the tree to start free falling once again. Unable to catch anything on the way down Yotaro braced himself for impact. The ground was soggy and moss covered which absorbed most of the fall but he was still stunned from the contact with the ground. It wasn't until something long and slimy brushed up against his leg that he forced himself up.

With his chakra control still unstable Yotaro had to resort to the old fashioned method of climbing the trees in order to escape the razor eels he knew had sensed his body heat in the swampy moss. His head was pounding and his eyes stung from the blood that was trickling down from his hair. The injury wasn't bad but it was annoying enough for him to be distracted from Makoto's presence. He didn't even notice the older boy dropping from the trees until it was already too late.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Hikari groaned against Itachi's chest as he swiftly leapt from branch to branch. He had just managed to make it out of the immediate blast radius but not out of range from the falling debris. Dozens of scratches bled on his face, arms, and back, but nothing serious threatened his heath. Unfortunately Hikari wasn't quite so lucky. A flying piece of wood from one of the shattered trees had lodged itself so deep into her leg that Itachi was sure the bone was cracked if not completely broken.

Sweat lined her brow as Itachi's movements jarred her injured leg and small whimpers of pain escaped her throat as she clung tightly to his shirt. Itachi wanted nothing more then to set her down to rest but without knowing where Makoto and Shishini would strike next, or even if they had more back up, he didn't want to risk leaving her on her own.

The sound of a struggle up ahead caused Itachi to pour on more speed and he soon arrived next to a wide river. He saw Shishini standing on a branch nine meters ahead and three meters up but he didn't see Makoto or Yotaro until a shout drew his attention in the direction of the river bank.

He watched in horror as Yotaro was forced from the tree by Makoto's attempted kick and hurriedly placed Hikari down on a thick branch. She gasped in pain as her injured limb smacked against the branch and Itachi muttered a quick 'sorry' before he brushed her bangs from her eyes.

"Wait here," He said. "Don't move!"

Hikari watched through pain filled eyes as Itachi leapt forward to help their teammate. She breathed a small sigh of relief when he pulled himself out of the swamp and into a tree, remembering the horror stories the boys had all told her about the kamisori unagi that lived in Kirigakure's lakes and rivers. Unfortunately her relief quickly changed to panic when Makoto dropped from the trees feet first to strike Yotaro square in the face.

Blood poured from the boy's broken nose as he lost his grip on the tree and fell backwards in an arch. Itachi and Hikari could only stare, horrified, as Yotaro's body seemed to hang suspended for several seconds before he flickered and time sped up again just as his body hit the water. Rapid movement stirred the still water of the river as the murky green water was quickly dyed a murky reddish brown.

Silence filled the clearing for several minutes until Itachi suddenly screamed. Collapsing to his knees with his face buried in his hands he shuddered and gasped for breath while Makoto's roaring laughter filled the swamp.

"One down! Now, guess who's next?" He said his usual speech patter once again in place.

Itachi stopped shaking almost at once and Hikari watched, mesmerized, as he stood and dropped his hands from his face. She gasped loudly and her hands flew to her mouth in surprise as she caught the peripheral glance of, not two, but three black tomoe spinning rapidly around red irises before they slowly expanded outward revealing an entirely different evolution of sharingan.

"You are." Itachi hissed before he suddenly disappeared from sight.

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Kaliea: Poor Yotaro! He's dead! Again! Geez, I really gotta stop killing the characters that I like. As for my arm, which I'm sure you all are curious about, it's just fine. Just a really bad sprain and the possible beginnings of arthritis. Fun stuff…yeah, not so much. Anyway! Let me know what you all think about this chapter. The whole story should be wrapping up in the next two to three so make sure you keep your eyes pealed for the sequel "Shades of Grey".

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Review Answers:

WTFTMIAnimeFreak: Iruka is weird, but at least we like him anyway right?

Danny-171984: Murasami was asking him about his sharingan. The way I see it, an Uchiha only activates his sharingan in dire circumstances. Like when Sasuke was fighting Haku, or when Obito was trying to save his friends, so that's what he meant by 'life or death'. Guess he was right huh?

TheBeastlyKunoichi: Yes, there will be a sequel. Actually I'm debating about whether or not to make it a trilogy. I'll figure it out once I start Shades of Grey.

Dragon Man 180: I actually can too. Although Makoto's days of bullying Hikari are over, now he's just possessive. In other words, he likes her and plans to marry her someday.

angelicnw2005: Sorry, but cliffhangers are what keep people coming back. If I resolve the last one and then leave you with another you're going to want to find out what happens right?

grim reaper sakura: Thanks, I must say that I'm really grateful to you. You not only review every chapter for this story but you review all of my work. It's very impressive and I envy your ability to do that. Not many people can, myself included.

katarauchiha653719: Thank-you for your concern. I really appreciate it.

Toxic Cupcakes: Unfortunately I can't afford to be afraid of hospitals, having probably spent an accumulated five years in them at least. Now it's just part of my life. Thanks for your concern though.

T34rSoFBlOoD: Thanks, I really appreciate that a lot.

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Kaliea: Thanks for all of your reviews and for your concern for my health. I'll try not to let myself get hit with any more sticks. Not being able to write totally sucks. Till next time, Ja ne!


	24. Chapter 24

**Dark and Light:** _The Story of Itachi and Hikari_

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Chapter 24

Makoto didn't even have the chance to search for the missing Uchiha before a knee slammed suddenly into the middle of his back, sending him flying from the branch he was standing on to crash painfully against the trunk of another tree. Slightly dazed, he somehow managed to sense Itachi's presence, barely avoiding the kunai that was aimed right for his throat. Dropping to the next branch down Makoto used his momentum to leap out of range of a barrage of kunai and shuriken, each one grazing his skin in a near miss.

Itachi cursed, mentally ordering the older boy to stay still but knowing that Makoto would never willingly make himself a target. Unconsciously his eyes narrowed, his vision somehow becoming sharper. Aiming carefully Itachi managed to track Makoto's movements, striking the area just ahead of where he was so that the other boy leapt right into his attack.

Makoto went down with a cry as the kunai embedded itself up to the hilt in the back of his leg. The bone shattered and his leg collapsed beneath him but he somehow managed to cling to the branch despite the pain. Before he had the chance to examine his wound Itachi was suddenly their grasping his hair painfully at the roots before his forehead was slammed viciously into the trunk of a tree.

Twice more Itachi brutally smashed Makoto's face against the tree before he pulled the older boy back to glare in his face. Blood poured from the boy's broken nose and the gaps in his mouth where he was now missing teeth. His breaths game in pain filled gasps and Itachi couldn't help but smirk at Makoto's absolute helplessness.

"Do you enjoy it?" Itachi said, tilting Makoto's head back further so that they were eye to eye. "I do. I've never felt this type of power before. It's intoxicating."

Even with his mind foggy with delirium Makoto still managed to work his tongue around the blood in his mouth, gazing up at Itachi with utter terror in his eyes.

"S-stop…D-don-t k-kill m-e…"

"Don't kill you?" Itachi asked before his rage resurfaced and he rammed Makoto's face into the tree once again. "Don't kill you! How dare you ask me that! Did you stop when it was Yotaro? At least he was man enough not to beg for his life you coward!"

Makoto spit out two more teeth as he was pulled back, his eyes screwed tightly shut as he gasped, trying to speak once again.

"H-Hika-ri—." He wasn't able to finish before Itachi's hands were on his throat; pinning his back against the trunk of the tree.

"Don't you even mention her name, you bastard! You've spent far too long torturing her already." His lips twisted up into a feral grin. "I think it's about time that you never touch her again."

"P-please…"

"Shut up!"

Fire filled Itachi's eyes and he released his grip on Makoto only to kick him hard in the stomach. Unable to protect himself against the attack the older boy bore the full brunt of Itachi's unbelievable strength as he was thrown from the tree towards another, the animal-like Itachi following swiftly after.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Thousands of teeth ripping at Yotaro's skin; stripping the flesh from his bones.

Blood red, hate filled, eyes glaring through the darkness.

It wasn't exactly the same, but the similarities were too obvious to dismiss. Her dream was happening. Yotaro was dead, and Itachi was going rapidly insane. Sweat mixed with tears as Hikari painfully hauled herself to her feet. Her breaths were short and hitched with suppressed sobs of pain. She had to get to Itachi. There had to be something that she could do to help him. If not, she knew that he would not only kill Makoto, but that he would regret it for the rest of his life.

Leaning against the trunk of the tree with one hand, Hikari reached down and grasped the shrapnel in her leg with the other. Gritting her teeth she braced herself and rapidly yanked the wood from her leg. Bile rose in her throat but a scream of pain was all that escaped her lips as she crumbled to the branch and pressed her palm to the wound as tightly as she dared.

Once she no longer felt lightheaded from the pain, Hikari slowly sat up and used her kunai to tear her pleated green skirt into strips for makeshift bandages. She didn't notice Shishini coming up behind her until he had already rested the point of his kunai beneath her chin.

"Don't move Haruno," He said, his voice dark; dangerous. "I won't hesitate to kill you if you don't cooperate."

Hikari stiffened, pausing halfway through wrapping her bloody wound. Her heart quickened in fear and the increase of her pulse caused more blood to be pushed from the wound even as she did her best to stifle the flow with her hands.

"What do you think you could do to me that could be worse then what Makoto has already done?" Hikari said, her voice shaking.

"If you think that weapon freak's death was bad it won't be anything compared what will happen to your beloved Itachi-kun if you let Makoto-kun die."

"And if you kill me to get your way? Do you really think that will help your cause any? If anything Itachi-kun will just come after you too. Even if you did manage to get away he would hunt you down, and now that he has the sharingan I'm sure it will be a short chase."

Wrapping his free arm around her slim waist, Shishini all but crushed Hikari to his chest, the point of his knife painfully digging into the soft skin beneath her jaw.

"You know Hikari-chan, I never did understand what Makoto-kun always found so fascinating about you. You're weak, ugly, and entirely too easy to control. I could have easily killed you a thousand ways in all of the time that I've known you, but for some reason Makoto-kun always insisted that you live. I think that somewhere along the line he fell in love with you." Leaning closer Shishini places his lips right next to Hikari's ear, his hot breath on her neck making her shiver in disgust. "I hate you for that Haruno. Until you came along, Makoto-kun was only mine."

Eyes widening in understanding, Hikari was about to speak when a streak of black flew past the branch the two were kneeling on and impacted against the tree beside them. Shishini let out a strangled cry when he recognized the form as Makoto. Abandoning his hostage the older nin dove from the branch to catch the broken body of his younger cousin. Hikari slumped against the tree branch, gasping loudly as she gently placed her already bloody palm against her neck. Though she was certain it wasn't intentional Shishini had dragged the blade of his kunai along her neck as he pulled back leaving a bloody curve right across her jugular. It wasn't deep, but it did sting and combined with her rapid pulse and already intense blood loss the wound definitely wasn't the most helpful at the moment.

Hikari was quickly shaken from her thoughts when the branch was jostled by Itachi attempting to use it as a spring board to dive after Shishini and Makoto. She cried out in surprise and grasped the branch in order to keep her balance, gritting her teeth in pain as her leg was jostled once more. The sound of Hikari's voice somehow managed to penetrate the fog of hate clouding Itachi's mind and he paused just long enough for Shishini to set off a smoke bomb, blinding the young Uchiha to his escape as he carried his cousin to safety.

Rage built up in Itachi's chest as the smoke cleared to reveal nothing and he let out a primal howl of hate. He was about to follow, to track the two of them down and destroy them when a sudden sob caused his mind to freeze. Glancing to the side out of the corner of his eyes, Itachi found himself facing a sight he had never thought he would be forced to see. Hikari's normally crisp white clothing was tattered and stained with what could only be her own blood and her throat was coated with the sticky life fluid as it flowed from a cut in her neck. But it was her eyes that really cut him. She was staring at him wide eyed, tears flowing freely down her dirty cheeks as she trembled slightly. Trembled in fear.

She was afraid of him.

Nearly stumbling at the sudden realization, Itachi instantly dropped his chakra from his eyes, causing the newly acquired mangekyo sharingan to fade rapidly from blood red, to mid-night black. Blood coated his arms and speckled his face and clothes from the many beatings he had given Makoto before he had launched him against the tree but he quickly pushed it from his mind as he dropped to his hands and knees in front of his terrified teammate.

"Hikari…" He said, his voice raw from screaming. "Don't…please don't be afraid…"

He reached towards her with one hand but he quickly pulled back as she flinched, her eyes trained on the blood red stains that clung to his hand like a glove. Slamming his fist against the tree Itachi lowered his head until the top of his forehead was pressed hard against the bark. With his rage successfully dispersed by Hikari's fear the absolute pain of the situation had finally managed to sink in and, for the first time since the last great Shinobi war, a sob tore from the back of his throat and hot tears slid from his eyes to disappear into his matted hair.

Hikari watched for several seconds as Itachi's shoulders shook, racked with sobs. Hesitantly at first she slid closer until her fear could no longer hold her back from comforting her long time hero. Itachi jerked up at the unexpected touch of her arms as the wound around his shoulders but he quickly relaxed when he realized who it was. Instead of pushing her away as he normally would Itachi just looked her in the eyes. Compassion, forgiveness, and love were all that he saw there. More tears welled up in his eyes and with a strangled sob he collapsed into her arms, crying brokenly against her chest as darkness settled over the forest, leaving the two children cloaked in their grief.

End Chapter 24

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Kaliea: Well, that was gross. And I cussed. I've never done that before but there was no other way to get across the feeling. Any other word would have made the situation seem lighter then really was. All those of you who read my stories because of the lack of profanity, I truly apologize. I hope that you weren't to badly offended. Also, I'm sorry if the violence seemed excessive. I tried to tone it down as best I could.

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Review Answers:

Kaliea: From what I understand I'm no longer able to do this so I'll be responding to you're questions and the like through the PM system from now on. If you would like me to respond to your Reviews then please sign in, other wise I'm afraid you won't be able to hear from me at all. Still, I'm very grateful to everyone who reviewed. I'll see you in the next chapter! Till then, Ja ne!


	25. Chapter 25

**Dark and Light:** _The Story of Itachi and Hikari_

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Chapter Twenty-Five

Kyo's hair stood on end as a tingle started deep in his heart and spread through out his entire body. The faintest echo of a scream reached his ears but it was so dim he wasn't sure if he had actually heard it or if it where a figment of his imagination. Still, either way he was sure of one thing. Something was happening. And it most likely wasn't good.

"Haruno-san," said Takanaka Hiratori, the instructor for Konoha's second team four. "You look pale. Are you alright?"

Kyo nodded absently and murmured that he was fine, even as his palm gently massaged his throbbing heart. What could have caused such a feeling? He wasn't having a heart attack was he? No, that couldn't be it; he was only seventeen after all. And besides, the pain was too distant to be his own. Someone else's then? But why would he possibly know that? He certainly hadn't formed a bloodbond with anyone (Kairi would kill him) and he didn't remember casting a mind-sharing jutsu so he couldn't possibly be feeling someone else's pain. Was it just his imagination then?

Another pang bit at Kyo's heart and his eyes went wide when he felt first the flicker and then the disappearance of an all to familiar chakra.

"Yotaro…" Kyo said, the name dropping like a stone from his lips as he stared in horror at the empty wall. "No…no!"

"Haruno!" Hiratori said in alarm as Kyo stumbled to his feet and raced for the door. "What's the matter? Is something wrong?"

"Yotaro!" Kyo said as he jerked open the door, breaking the lock in the process. "He-he's…in trouble."

"Haruno, you can't just storm out there to the rescue," Hiratori said, grabbing Kyo's arm. "They'll be disqualified!"

"The hell if I care," Kyo said. "I never should have entered them in the first place. They're only **babies**! And I _won't_ let them die!"

Hiratori's hand fell away as Kyo vanished through the door, several dozen team leaders gaping in his wake.

Kyo's way was barred by only one mist shinobi before the others realized that standing in his way was something akin to suicide. He walked with purpose to the fenced in training ground that was holding his students hostage. Kyo paused in his step when he noticed a pair of mist shinobi kneeling in front of one of the many swamp entrances. Fear clenched at his guts when he noted the bloody form of a young mist girl cradled in the arms of the older woman.

He recognized the man as the sadistic first examiner, Tsukiomi Taichi, but the woman was unfamiliar. Without thinking, Kyo's feet guided him in their direction. The girl looked older then his own students, probably thirteen or fourteen, but the sight of her still made his heart clench in his chest. Her short black hair was matted with blood and dirt while her pale skin was pocked with bloody scars and heavy blistered burns.

"What happened?" Kyo choked out. The woman cradling the girl looked up, tear tracks staining her cheeks.

"Nothing she didn't bring on herself," the woman said. "My daughter has always been to rash; she acted without thinking."

"Was she…a participant?"

"No, Hana was an examiner."

"I see," Kyo said, trying to hide his relief. "How did it happen?"

"What business is that of yours foreigner?" Taichi said. "Get lost or I'll rip your intestines out through your nose and use them to decorate my daughter's shrine."

The woman sighed. "That's disgusting Taichi. Even if Hana where dead, which she is **not**, she wouldn't forgive you for desecrating her grave that way." Turning to Kyo the woman continued. "Please forgive my husband. He tends to be rather…extreme. My name is Tsukiomi Aiko. I am the head proctor for this exam."

"Can you tell me what's happening? Why is Hana-san so badly injured?"

"Several of the genin that failed the first examination broke into the swamp in order to cause problems for the groups that did make it." Aiko gently massaged her head in irritation. "They've cut off all of our communications with the inside examiners and coerced several of our own shinobi to work for them; which makes me believe that this wasn't a sudden plan. And I doubt they're working alone either. More then likely they've enlisted outside help but I don't know for sure what it is they're after. If Hana were awake we could ask her but she's taken on some very heavy damage. No doubt there are some students in there feeling very confused right about now."

Kyo's mind was racing as he took in the information. Suddenly he took in a deep breath of realization.

"Do you think they could be after one of the examinees?" Kyo said and both Aiko and Taichi looked up.

"I suppose it's possible, but there's hardly anyone in this exam worth such extreme measures." Aiko said. "Unless you know someone."

"My student," Kyo said. "Uchiha Itachi. He's believed to be a genius and many think he'll activate his bloodline limit soon. Since this exam was being taken outside of Konoha we took precautions to ensure his anonymity. I don't know how anyone would have found out he was participating but it's the only thing that really makes sense."

"An Uchiha…"Aiko breathed. "You're right, that does make sense. There are a lot of villages that would kill for the chance to get their hands on the sharingan."

Hana moaned in unconsciousness, shifting uncomfortably. Aiko handed the girl over to her husband.

"Take care of her until the med-nins arrive. They shouldn't be long." Aiko stood and faced Kyo, her eyes roaming his face blankly. "I'll go with you into the swamp. It will be dangerous of course but we should be alright."

Kyo nodded firmly and Aiko sighed. "Please say it out loud. I'd rather not waste chakra trying to figure out gestures."

Kyo started. "You're blind."

Aiko nodded. "It happened a long time ago. Come on."

"Aiko!" Taichi called and the kunoichi turned. "You'd better come back alive, or at least wait for me to get there and save your sorry butt. There's no way I'm going to take care of all your brats by myself."

"Really Tai," Aiko said. "Is that anyway to talk to your wife?"

Taichi rolled his eyes. "Be safe oh darling love of my life."

Aiko smirked. "That's better. Come on Konoha."

Kyo blinked once before he realized she was talking to him.

"Um, my name is Haruno Kyo."

"Fine, then come on Kyo-chan."

The two disappeared as Taichi scowled behind them.

"Kyo-chan?" He scoffed. "Just who's wife does she think she is?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Itachi had cried himself to sleep on Hikari's lap. The stress of his recently activated sharingan combined with the emotional distress of losing his best friend the catalyst needed to put the young Uchiha out of commission for some time. Hikari, for her part, was still amazed that Itachi had actually managed to activate his sharingan in the first place. They were different sharingan though, even she knew that.

In the past when Kakashi-san would spar with her cousin Kyo, his sharingan always had three commas. But Itachi's were strange. Rather then the normal commas, his looked like a three point shuriken. Was it possible that something was wrong with them? Or maybe it was Itachi that was sick.

The sound of movement in the trees jerked Hikari from her thoughts and her head snapped up in fear. She had to get away from there. With Itachi unconscious, her injured, and Yotaro—.

She wasn't in any position to protect herself, let alone Itachi too. Making a decision Hikari finished tying the bandage around her leg, having forgotten it due to Shishini's sudden intrusion earlier. Pulling it tight she fought back a wince before sliding out from under Itachi's prone form. Laying him gently against the wide tree branch, Hikari shifted around until her back was facing him. Pulling at his arms she somehow managed to maneuver him onto her back, hiking him up as she struggled to stand.

Hikari bit her lip with a heavy wince when Itachi's settled weight pressed her fractured bones painfully together. Closing her eyes and clenching her teeth, Hikari sucked in a deep breath. This was really going to hurt.

It was a good twenty foot drop from the tree to the swamp floor so regardless of the thick soft moss that coated everything; Hikari's landing was still heavy and abrupt. It took all she had ever learned with Kyo and at the academy not to scream when she felt her left leg break under the pressure of the landing. Crumbling to the ground with stifled whimpers, Hikari dug her fingers deep into the slimy moss, pressing her forehead to the ground as tears tracked down her cheeks to mingle with her blood from where she had bit through her lip in pain.

Several minutes of complete torture passed before Itachi shifted, the movement managing to clear a path through Hikari's pain clouded brain. Glancing around through blurry eyes, she managed to make out a small cave a few meters to her left that had been formed by the roots of a crooked old tree. Shifting Itachi so he was draped across her back, Hikari started forward at a slow but jarring army crawl, using her good leg to push herself forward.

Seconds passed like hours as she crawled, tears and blood now joined by the sweat that lined her pale forehead. Falling into the hollowed out cave Hikari couldn't stop a scream from finally escaping as Itachi rolled off her back and landed on her leg. A clear crack sounded through the silent space and stars swam in her vision as the light started to be sucked from the small cave. Blackness filled the entire space before the pain finally proved too much and Hikari fell into blissful unconsciousness.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

"The place we found Hana is just ahead." Aiko said. Kyo nodded before his left leg suddenly gave out beneath him. He stumbled and grabbed at his thigh, his face a mixture of pain and fear. Aiko paused, not turning as she studied him with her chakra.

"Are you hurt?" Aiko said, her voice concerned. Kyo shook his head before he remembered the Mist shinobi couldn't see him.

"No, but someone is…"

"Your students?"

Kyo sighed. "Most probably. And I can't shake this feeling…that something really bad has happened."

Before Aiko could respond a new chakra signature appeared in their tracking range and the two fell silent as an unfamiliar mist shinobi dropped from the higher branches to join them. Kyo's fist tightened on the handle of his kunai before the man held out his palms in surrender.

"Easy, I'm on your side."

Aiko relaxed, her shoulders dropping. "Momoshiro-san, you startled us."

"Sorry," Momoshiro Sato said. "But I was in a hurry. One of my summons disappeared but he didn't return to me. He's just…vanished."

"Died?" Aiko said but Sato shook his head.

"I don't think so," Sato said. "I would have been told by another owl. He's just gone. His name was removed from the scroll too so it's impossible for me to summon him anymore."

"Which one was it?" Aiko said. "Who was he assigned to?"

"Murasami," Sato said. "He was the last summon I assigned before the exam started. I'm pretty sure the team number was four from Konoha. There was a cute little white haired girl but more surprising was how Murasami reacted to one of the boys; like he knew him." Sato shook his head before continuing. "Anyway, I got worried since, obviously not of the summons were supposed to be killed for real."

Kyo had been silent the entire time, his face growing paler and paler at each sentence until he would surely have blended in with Hikari's hair perfectly. Realizing suddenly that he didn't recognize the strange blue haired shinobi, Sato stiffened and regarded him carefully.

"Who are you?" Sato said. "I don't recognize you. What village are you from?"

"Calm down, Momoshiro-san," Aiko said. "He's Haruno Kyo-kun from Konoha. His kids are the ones who had your summon."

Sato's eyes widened and his mouth formed a surprised 'oh'. "I'm sorry. I didn't think…"

"Forget it," Kyo said hoarsely. "Let's go. I need to find them. Now."

Silently agreeing both Aiko and Sato followed Kyo as he once again disappeared into the trees.

End Chapter Twenty-Five

* * *

Kaliea: I'm really sorry it's taken me so long guys. I'm kind of at an impasse. I know where I want the story to go; I'm just not sure how to take it there. At any rate, I hope that you all enjoyed this chapter. Don't forget to review!


	26. Chapter 26

**Dark and Light:** _The Story of Itachi and Hikari_

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Six

Itachi groaned as he slowly came too. His head was pounding and he felt slightly nauseous as he rolled from his stomach to his back. A strange, wet tearing sound reached his ears followed by a low, pain filled moan and his brow furrowed in confusion as he slowly opened his eyes. He was in some sort of cave, probably under a tree, but with barely any light filtering through the roots that was about all he could accurately judge. He blinked slowly trying to hurry his eyes into adjusting to the dimness before he slowly sat up.

He didn't remember much as he checked himself over; mild stings reminding him of the injuries he'd gotten. Realizing that his shirt was completely ruined Itachi started to pull it off. The blood from his injuries had all dried and he grunted in mild pain as he pealed the cloth out of the worst one across his stomach. He couldn't even remember when he'd gotten it.

He'd just pulled it over his head when everything came back at once. His irritation, the explosion, Hikari's injury, and Yotaro—His eyes widened as he remembered. Yotaro was dead. Makoto had killed him. The hatred rushed back at once and Itachi leapt to his feet, ignoring the nausea that turned his stomach and the dizziness that attacked his senses. He was about to leave the cave and finish what he'd started with Makoto when a line of white abruptly registered in his sight.

Looking down Itachi's heart nearly stopped when he realized it was Hikari. Her usual tan skin was a pale, chalky white and her injured leg was an alarming shade of purple. It looked almost black except for two places where the bone had broken free from the skin. What wasn't dyed red from blood was a sickening green.

"Hikari!" Itachi dropped to his knees at her side but was afraid to touch her. What if he made it worse? Judging by his recent track record that wouldn't be to surprising. Doing his best to avoid her leg, Itachi leaned over to check her temperature. He didn't even have to feel his own skin to know that she was running a fever. In fact she was burning up. If he didn't get her help soon he would be without two teammates instead of just one.

His hands trembled but he did his best to force them into stillness as he brushed aside Hikari's sweaty bangs. His touch was barely a whisper against his skin and she shivered. The movement made her groan and Itachi pulled back as though he'd been burned. He'd never felt so helpless in his life.

The sound of night filled the small cave and somewhere in the distance branches snapped. His hand flew to his weapon pouch, though admittedly more sluggish then usual. Apparently he had yet to recover from the mental trauma he'd encountered repeatedly in the last few hours. He waited for several tense seconds before finally relaxing just a bit. It wouldn't do to drop his guard with Hikari so vulnerable.

Itachi's eyes moved to her face and he had to force himself to watch her, not wanting to focus on her unnatural silence and sickly appearance, but afraid she'd disappear if he so much as glanced away. His grip tightened on the handle of his kunai as Hikari moaned in her sleep and he mentally swore to Yotaro that he would protect her. Itachi refused to allow his friend, his best friend at that, to watch (from wherever the dead go when they die) as he failed a second time.

"…I'll protect you…" Itachi said suddenly. His voice was broken and he knew he was nearing hysterics as he watched his teammate bleed. And bleed. And bleed.

"I-I'll pro-t-tect you…" Itachi said again. It was all he could say. And just perhaps, if he said it enough, he'd start to believe it.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kyo stopped short as a glint from the swamp floor caught his eye. He knew it probably wasn't anything important but he couldn't stop himself from checking it out anyway. Aiko and Sato stopped short, both confused and slightly annoyed at the delay but neither wanting to dissuade him from his search. Sending them silent thanks, Kyo hit the swamp floor with a heavy squish and pulled his feet from the mud as he searched for what he had seen.

He was about to give up and pass it off as a figment of his imagination when he saw it again; a small reflection in the near blackness of night. Keeping tabs on where he was stepping, Kyo skirted the edge of the river and bent down to pick it up. It was a leaf hatai-ate and his stomach twisted at the way blood colored the navy tie a dark purple. He knew at once that it wasn't Hikari's, her tie was green, which gave him a small amount of comfort but he couldn't shake the anxiety completely.

It was a mental fight to flip the band over to see what clan symbol was stitched inside and, despite himself, he was hoping that it belonged to one of the other leaf teams that had participated. When he had finally turned it over his heart nearly stopped as he noted the space where the clan symbol was supposed to be. It was empty. It was Yotaro's.

Aiko and Sato dropped to the ground beside him. Both had noticed the change in his aura and had suspected he'd found a clue. Not a very pleasant one, but a clue none the less.

"What did you find?" Aiko said, her eyes staring blankly through Kyo as he looked up.

Carefully, so as not to drop it, Kyo held out Yotaro's forehead protector. Sato made a sound of understanding while Aiko merely tilted her head to the left, waiting for an explanation.

"It's my oldest student's hatai-ate," Kyo said. "It…it's covered in blood."

Aiko's expression softened as she nodded. "I see. Perhaps it was merely misplaced."

"I hope so," Kyo said, pocketing the headband. "But I doubt it."

"Do you think the others have gone far?" Sato said, squinting into the darkness.

"It's hard to say," Aiko said. "If they were close we should be able to pick up on their chakra signatures but if they are weakened or…dead, it could be close to impossible."

Sato nodded. "Most of my summons are still out, but there is one that I can call. She's really young but that shouldn't be too much of a problem."

"Do it," Aiko said. "The more help we have, the better."

Sato ran through the summoning process as Kyo continued to scan the darkness. When he spoke he was addressing Aiko but didn't see any point in looking at her. It wasn't like she could see him anyway.

"Have you gotten any word on the infiltrators?"

"Not much," Aiko said. "Most of what's come through the wireless is generic drabble associated to such circumstances as this. There was, however, a mention of Konoha."

Kyo flinched and had to fight back a sigh. "I can't say I'm entirely surprised. There have been rumors for a while now."

"Care to enlighten?" Aiko said. "If we are going to work together it is only fair we have at least an idea of what we could be up against."

Kyo was silent for a moment. He vaguely noticed that Sato had completed his summoning and was listening intently. The information they asked for was incredibly sensitive and could possibly brand him as a traitor. Still, there was a chance that if the Mist knew who they were up against his students would be better protected if found. After all, he was rather certain as to who the instigator of this attack was and why he was doing it.

Sending up a silent plea for forgiveness, Kyo turned to his temporary companions in resignation.

"What I'm about to tell you is S-class information. Strictly need to know."

"It will be kept in the utmost confidentiality," Aiko promised. "You have my word."

Kyo nodded and continued. "About four years ago, during the last Great War, an upstanding member of Konoha defected and obtained Missing nin status. Thus far we've managed to keep his name out of the bingo book but perhaps that was a foolish decision. Regardless, I'm more then certain that this man is the intruder and I'm equally certain that his target is Uchiha Itachi."

"And just who is 'this man'?" Aiko said. "Or is that how we are supposed to recognize him?"

"His name is Orochimaru. One of Konoha's three legendary Senin."

Aiko was visibly shocked. Her mouth dropped open and her arms half lowered as she gaped through the darkness in her vision. She was more then aware of who and what Orochimaru was but she hadn't heard so much as a rumor of his defection from Konoha. How had the Leaf managed to keep something so _huge_ quiet for _four years_?

"Why Itachi?" Sato asked, trying to remember exactly who Orochimaru was. "He may be from a renowned clan but he's still just a kid."

"Before he left Konoha, it was discovered that Orochimaru was searching for ways to remain immortal through transferring his spirit from body to body. If he has managed to perfect the technique I have no doubt that Itachi would be the first choice for his ideal body."

"If it truly is the legendary Senin then our current forces are not near enough to handle this situation." Aiko turned in Sato's direction, her voice suddenly authoritative. "Momoshiro."

"Ma'am!"

"Return to the village and report to Mizukage-sama what Haruno-san has said. Have him send a message to Konoha immediately and inform him that this is information best kept from other villages."

"Yes, Tsukiomi-san," Sato said before motioning to the pygmy owl perched on his fist. "I'll leave Yuriko with you. She should be able to help find your team Haruno-san."

"Thank-you," Kyo said as he extended his fist. Yuriko puffed up at first before she sighed and hopped from Sato's hand to Kyo's.

"You owe me for this Sato," Yuriko said. "Today was supposed to be my off day."

"I'll ask the high summon to postpone your training for a few days," Sato said with a smile. "You deserve it for this."

"Yeah, yeah," Yuriko said. "Get going."

"Good luck," Sato said to Kyo before he formed a seal and disappeared in a splash of water.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Hikari shifted and her mind swam as she sluggishly made her way to consciousness. Her stomach turned but there was nothing in it for her to throw up, not that it stopped her from retching twice as she tried to roll to her side. She hadn't even made it an inch before two ice cold hands were pressed against her bare shoulders, holding her still against the dirt.

"Don't move," someone said and she belatedly recognized him as Itachi. "Your leg is broken pretty badly."

"'Tachi?" Hikari slurred as her eyes slowly opened. Her vision was swimming with black and gray and more black and…was that white? What was white? Besides her, of course. It took several blinks before her vision had cleared enough for her to see and she realized the wide splash of white she'd seen was actually Itachi's face. He was so pale that his skin was actually glowing in the darkness.

"W-hat 'appn'd?" Hikari said, mentally scowling at her lack of articulation. Why couldn't she talk right? She shivered a bit and tried to rub her arms but she couldn't move her hands. Instead they just brushed limply against her sides from where they were draped across her stomach. Was that bare skin she felt? She moved her fingers again before she was sure it was. What had happened to her clothes!

"I-ta-chi," Hikari forced out. "Wh-ere—."

"We're still in the Death Swamp," Itachi said. "We must have fallen out of the canopy. Somehow or another we ended up in this cave."

"N-o," she said. "C-lothes…wh-ere…?"

It was impossible for Itachi to hide his blush as his pasty skin suddenly flushed a brilliant red.

"Y-you had a fever." Itachi said, refusing to look at her. "I had to cool you off and…you had on to much. I had to s-strip you down a bit. You still have on your shorts and chest binding." He snorted, though it seemed rather forced. "Don't know why you n-need chest bindings anyw-way. You look like a boy."

Had she been more alert she probably would have smacked him for that. First he cut off her hair and then stole her clothes and now he was insulting her figure? She wasn't even eight yet! She didn't _need_ a figure.

"B-aka."

"Stop talking you stupid girl," Itachi said as he lifted a damp cloth to her clammy skin. For a moment she thought it was her shirt because of the white but then she noticed his left arm warmer was missing. He was washing her with his arm band? She didn't know whether to fan-girl or tease him. She settled on fan-girling. Teasing was too complicated for her brain at the moment.

"Th-anks, Ita-chi," Hikari said, grateful that she could almost completely talk now. "You're s-weet."

Itachi flushed again. "Shut up dobe. I'm only doing this because we're a team. Don't read into it."

"Yer cute."

"And you're obviously delirious. Go back to sleep."

Hikari smiled as her eyes drifted shut again.

"Suki yo," she whispered and if she hadn't fallen asleep right after she would have been mortified. This was not the way she'd always imagined confessing her love.

Itachi was frozen by her words. They were the last thing he'd ever expected to hear from her, though he couldn't deny that some part of him was almost happy. That happiness was instantly squashed by dread. She didn't expect him to say it too, did she? What if she did? Could he say it? Did he even feel it? A small part of him thought that he might but the bigger part insisted that he was still gripped to tightly by Yotaro's death. He knew that he'd always cared for both his teammates even more then he did for his family (Sasuke excluded) and it was the pain that was making him think he might love Hikari. That was it. He didn't love her. He couldn't. He was an Uchiha and something he'd learned from the day he was born was that Uchiha's love no one. Not even each other.

"I'm sorry," Itachi said, his eyes cold as he stared at Hikari's sleeping figure. "I don't love you."

He told himself the chill in his heart came from the night and not the emptiness in his words.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was almost sunrise before Yuriko finally announced that she'd seen something in the darkness. Though his heart was hopeful, Kyo tensed in preparation for a fight. There was no telling who, or what, the summon had actually seen until they got closer.

It was with utmost relief that Kyo finally recognized the dim chakra signatures of his two younger students. For the time he refused to dwell on the absence of the third and instead raced towards the small tree cave that housed Itachi and Hikari's signatures. The barrage of shuriken and kunai that flew from the mouth of the cave told him that at least one of his students was alert though the sluggishness and softness of the throws was somewhat disconcerting.

"It's me," Kyo said, catching several of the weapons between his fingers as he dropped to one knee at the cave mouth. His eyes took in Hikari's battered frame and Itachi's pale, shadowed features. Itachi was still crouched in front of his younger teammate, his hands trembling as he clenched a second wave of kunai. It was only a moment before recognition settled on Itachi's face and the weapons dropped to the floor.

Almost before he could blink, Kyo found himself with his arms full as Itachi barreled against his chest. The boy wasn't crying but he was trembling something fierce.

"Are you alright?" Kyo asked softly and Itachi nodded into his chest. "Where…where's Yotaro?"

Itachi stiffened, his hands fisting tightly against Kyo's tunic before his trembling started again; this time even worse. A lump formed in Kyo's throat and he did his best to swallow it back as his arms tightened around his young student, his hands stroking Itachi's almost shoulder-length hair.

"It's alright," Kyo soothed. "Everything will be just fine."

Itachi was silent for only a moment longer before he spoke. His voice strained, harsh, and so completely young.

"Don't tell my father," he said and then he broke down into tears and let his master comfort him.

End Chapter Twenty-Six

* * *

Kaliea: I'm so sorry for the long absence. I've had so much on my plate lately with school and stuff that I just haven't had the chance to sit down and write. Fortunately I'm on summer break and while I'll have to do a lot of stuff for my mom I should also have more free-time. Theoretically anyway. Regardless, I want to say thanks for your patience and let you know that there should be one more chapter and maybe an epilogue and then I'm done! And this time I actually mean it. Woo-hoo! Also, don't forget to vote in my poll about which story you want to see next. So far (with the six people who voted) Till It's Gone is in the lead. You people really like Itachi/Hikari stories huh? That's okay, me too. Anyway, don't forget to review!

PS. If there is anyone out there who would be willing to draw a picture of Team Four I would love you forever. If your interested I can send you their descriptions but I'm afraid I can only pay you in gratitude ^^;


	27. Chapter 27

**Dark and Light**: _The Story of Itachi and Hikari_

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Kyo stumbled into the small apartment, his eyes heavy and his body exhausted. He almost didn't make it to the couch before collapsing and when he did he leaned back into the cushions with a broken sigh. He'd never felt so…_defeated_ before in his life. He felt completely worthless. Every successful mission he'd ever had disappearing into smoke when compared to the complete failure of losing Yotaro.

The light turned on in the hallway and Kyo turned to look as Kairi stumbled into the living room rubbing the sleep from her eyes. He wasn't surprised that she was there; it wouldn't be the first time. When he was gone for extended missions she usually stayed over to clean and air out the rooms. Most of the time she would fall asleep on the floor in his room and he'd move her over to the guest room. Today though, he hadn't thought of whether or not she'd be there when he'd slammed through the door.

"Kyo?" Kairi said, pulling him from his thoughts. "Are you okay?"

Kyo didn't answer. Instead he just watched her. Somehow it always helped to see her right after a mission. Especially a mission where everything went wrong. Her presence was just…soothing. It was something she'd had even when they were genin.

"What happened?" Kairi said, moving around the couch to sit beside him. "Kyo?"

Something in him snapped and Kyo reached out and snagged Kairi by the waist. She squealed in surprise as she found herself plastered to his chest in an almost painful hug. His face was pressed against her neck and his breathing fanned across her skin as he tried to pull her closer. Heat raced across her cheeks as she struggled to look at him.

"K-Kyo? Wh-what's gotten into you?"

"He's gone…" Kyo said and Kairi stopped struggling.

"What? Who's gone? What _happened_, Kyo?"

"Yotaro," Kyo said, his breath beginning to hitch. "He…he's gone…"

Kairi felt as though her blood had suddenly turned to ice at the sound of his voice. "W-what do you mean he's gone?"

"I mean he's gone!" Kyo said, jerking away in an attempt to calm his anger. "He's dead Kairi! He's dead and it's all. My. Fault!"

"Don't do that to yourself Kyo." Kairi said, her voice stern. "Now tell me what happened."

"I-I don't know, exactly," Kyo said, sinking back into the couch his energy spent once again. "They were attacked. It was that Yamataro boy. Makoto I think, and his cousin Shishini. They managed to split the kids up and Yotaro was…he tried to fight. Itachi said he would have made it to help, but Makoto…And Yotaro fell into the swamp…"

Kairi clapped a hand to her mouth in horror. She understood the implications. The razor eels in the Mist Village were infamous. Rarely anyone escaped without missing a limb and if Yotaro had fallen in completely; while he was exhausted from fighting no less…Kairi didn't even want to think about it.

"…Yotaro…" she said in barely a whisper. "W-what about Itachi and…Hikari?"

"Hikari's in the hospital." Kyo said. His voice broke as he spoke. "Her leg was completely shattered. There's a chance that she'll never be able to continue as a shinobi. Even if she could she'd never make it to chuunin."

Kairi had never felt more helpless in her life. Tears rimmed her eyes as she lifted Kyo's chin, her heart breaking at the emptiness in his eyes.

"Tell me Kyo," she said, her voice desperate. "What can I do? How can I help you?"

Kyo's hands moved from her waist to grip her arms painfully, his forehead dropping to her shoulder.

"Don't leave me." He whispered. Kairi closed her eyes and fought to keep her voice strait as she buried her face in his hair and nodded.

"I won't."

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Word of the disastrous exam spread through the village and by the morning after team four's return nearly everyone knew some part of what had taken place. Itachi could barely walk down the street without calls to cheer up or looks of sympathy following after him. He did his best to drown it out as he weaved through the crowded market while on his way to the hospital. His head was lowered, allowing the wide collar of his Uchiha shirt to hide his expression while his hands were buried deep into his short's pockets.

His fingers brushed against the bracelet in his pockets and he fought back a flinch. He'd made the request to his father before his team had left for the mist but he hadn't expected to have to return the wrist bands. He had made an attempt to return the bracelet as well but his mother, Mikoto, had insisted that at least Hikari should receive a gift. It was their one year anniversary as a team after all.

To be honest he hadn't really intended to give one to Hikari anyway. 'One' being the honorary clan symbols. He had meant it as a surprise for Yotaro who had no clan. It wasn't quite as official as adoption, considering his clan refused to adopt 'outsiders', but it was the closest Itachi could manage. Yotaro still wouldn't have had a clan name, but he would have at least had a family.

Hikari already had a family so the only reason he'd included her for honorary status was because she'd never stop whining about it until either a) he gave her one too or b) he slipped and said something he really, really shouldn't (like how he'd secretly thought—only once!—that she'd look better with an Uchiha fan on her back rather then her wrist).

But those days were long gone, even though it had barely been a week ago since they were all together, and Hikari could no longer have a place in his life. His family would never consent to him associating, let alone marrying, a girl who had no real shinobi background (her elite jounin class cousin, Kyo, being the one exception). Especially not now that she probably couldn't be a shinobi herself.

His hand tightened around the bracelet in his pocket as he slowed to a stop. People flowed around him, casting their irritating concern his way, but he just ignored them as he stood. It wasn't fair. Not to Hikari or Yotaro's memory and not to Itachi himself. Shouldn't he have a say in his future? Not that he wanted to marry that annoying dead-last of course, that was just a one-time thought caused by Yotaro's meddling. But not to be her teammate anymore? Or her friend just because of an injury that she couldn't prevent? And not just that, but an injury that she made worse—knowingly!—for his sake? That…just wasn't right. Yotaro would spit on the Uchiha name for such an outrage.

"Well, well." Kenta's voice shattered Itachi's thoughts like a mirror. "If it isn't the Uchiha prince out for a stroll."

"What do you want Kenta?" Itachi said, refusing to turn. "I have no business with you today."

"Why prodigy-san! I'm hurt!" The sarcasm in Kenta's voice was biting. "Can't I just say hello to my favorite cousin? Is that so wrong?"

"What do you want?"

"So conceited, prodigy-san." Kenta said. "I was only headed towards the hospital. Our meeting here has nothing to do with you."

"You're injured?" Was that a fraction of hope in his voice?

"Of course not." Kenta said. "While I'm not as…invincible as you are, I manage to avoid injuries. I was merely checking on an acquaintance of mine. Little Hikari-chan is so cute when she's in pain."

A wave of heat rushed through Itachi's body and he spun around to face his cousin, lashing out with a kunai as he did so.

"You son-of-a—!" Itachi began but cut off abruptly as Kenta easily evaded the attack.

"Temper, cousin, temper." He warned. "You wouldn't want to cause a scene."

"Stay away from her." Itachi hissed.

"And if I don't?"

Black flashed to red for only a second. "Then I'll kill you."

"Oh, I'm so scared. Prodigy-san has it out for me."

"I mean it Kenta. Stay away from her."

"Why? Afraid I'll do what you can't?"

Itachi didn't relax his stance as his eyes followed Kenta's every move. He noted with satisfaction that the crowd had moved back giving him plenty of room to fight if necessary.

"She's quite taken with me you know." Kenta continued. "She especially loved the flowers I brought her. Sakura blossoms. She said they reminded her of her sister."

When Kenta moved Itachi barely managed to track him. His arms lashed out automatically only to be caught firmly around the wrists by Kenta. Itachi scowled as Kenta moved forward, his head parallel with his cousin's.

"I wonder," Kenta said, his voice barely a whisper. "Does she know Sakura's stand for an untimely death?"

Something inside of Itachi snapped and before either boy knew what had happened Kenta found himself flat on his back staring into Itachi's blood red sharingan eyes. One hand was fisted in Kenta's hair, keeping his head flat against the road while the other held a kunai to his throat.

"Give me a reason," Itachi said. His voice was dark, dangerous even.

Fear lingered in the back corners of Kenta's eyes but his pride forced it back. Pulling away from the blade as much as possible, Kenta sneered.

"And here I thought you hated violence," he said. "What would that loser Obito think of you now?"

The scene stood frozen, the onlookers petrified, for several minutes before Itachi finally spoke.

"Stay away from her."

Kenta laughed, low and soft. "What's yours will be mine Itachi-_sama_. I'll make sure of that."

Itachi barely gave it a thought before he slammed Kenta's head against the pavement, knocking the boy unconscious.

"You know," Itachi said as he stood, sliding his kunai back into his pouch. "This look is probably the only one that works for you."

It was a line Yotaro would have used had he still been around. Itachi felt it was justified. Without a backward glance Itachi continued his trek to the hospital leaving his cousin to the police (who had been watching the entire scene) to take care of. Once again people moved out of his path as he walked, but this time it wasn't from sympathy. It was from fear. Some small part of him felt a rush of satisfaction knowing that the rumors of his team's defeat would soon be washed away by something else. Rumors of Uchiha Itachi and his sharingan.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Itachi leaned against the doorframe of the hospital room, watching as Hikari worked her way through some sort of puzzle book. Her tongue peaked out from between her lips, something he knew she did when she was concentrating, and her brows wrinkled almost cutely.

_What's yours will be mine._

Itachi scowled, his hand tightening around the bracelet once again. It wasn't an idle threat either. Even though they were still young by civilian standards, Itachi and Kenta, who recently passed the genin exam, were both considered to be adults in the ninja world and it wouldn't be long before they were pressed for marriage. If Kenta thought he was attached to Hikari romantically, no, even platonically, he wouldn't rest until he had her in his grasp. Kenta could be very persuasive, especially towards girls.

Itachi knew that she liked him, but it was nothing more then a crush. A crush he couldn't—no, he didn't return. And wouldn't it be cruel to keep giving her false hopes? By remaining with her he would do nothing but fuel her feelings, make her believe he felt something he most certainly _didn't_.

"Itachi!" Hikari said, finally noticing him as she looked up. "About time you stopped by, I've only been here for two days, baka."

Resolve solidified in Itachi's heart and he steeled himself for what he was about to do. It was best to cut ties with her before she got hurt. Hurt worse anyway.

"Why aren't you saying anything? You go mute as well as dumb Itachi-ba—."

"Shut up," Itachi said. His voice was harsh and his eyes were hard; narrowed into a deadly glare.

Hikari started back in surprise. "Wha—?"

"You're annoying."

"I-Itachi…what are you—?"

"It's your fault he's dead." Itachi said. "If you weren't so useless he'd still be here. You're a failure as a shinobi. You've always dragged our team down and now you've cost me the only person I could _actually_ count on to watch my back."

"I-I didn't—." Tears welled up in Hikari's eyes but Itachi forced himself to ignore them and continue on.

"You're a disgrace to all ninja. Even worse, you're a disgrace to team four. You never should have come to the academy. Go back to civilian life where you belong, _dobe_."

For the first time since he met her one year, five months, and thirteen days ago the insult was actually said as an insult. It was biting, cruel, and far more then Hikari could ever deserve. He stood there in silence as he watched his words take root in his teammate's—ex-teammate, he corrected himself—heart. She looked so…lost as she just stared at him and cried. Like she had nothing left to live for. Unable to bare it anymore, Itachi turned and yanked the door open.

"Wait!" Hikari screamed, her voice desperate with need and fear. "Please! I'll do everything I can to make this up to you!"

"You can't."

"Don't leave me Itachi! I…I love you! With all my heart! So please…just stay with me…"

Itachi couldn't believe what he was hearing. After everything he'd just said? After all but tearing out her heart? She would still say she loves him? For just a moment his resolve began to weaken.

_What's yours will be mine._

"You really are annoying."

He slammed the door as he stepped out of the room and dropped to his knees to cover his ears as Hikari let out the broken cry he refused to let escape from his lips. This was the path he'd chosen and he knew it would be hard. But it was for the best. For both of them.

Composing himself, Itachi stood and made his way towards the hospital lobby. He'd just reached the double doors when the trash by the door caught his eye. Instantly his hand went to the bracelet in his pocket.

_This was the path he'd chosen._

He moved mechanically towards the waste bin.

_He knew it would be hard._

He pulled out the bracelet and looked at it for just a moment.

_But it was for the best._

He held it out and only hesitated for a second before he let it drop.

_For the both of them._

* * *

End **Dark and Light:** _The Story of Itachi and Hikari_

* * *

Kaliea: Yup, you read that right. It's over. Done. Finished. Completely at the end. And it's about stinking time too! I loved this story every step of the way but it's embarrassing how long it took for me to finish. It's no wonder I lost most of my readers. At anyrate, I hope you all enjoyed my story and while I promise that, yes, there will be a sequel (titled Shades of Gray) I'm not sure when it will be released. I'm hoping to finish the entire story, or at least have it completely mapped out, before I post the first chapter so we'll see how it goes. I just want to give one last shout out to all of my faithful readers/reviewers. I never would have made it this far without your support so thank you all so much. Don't forget to review! And for the last time (with this story at least) Ja ne!


	28. New Sequel

The sequel **Shades of Gray** is now available. Be sure to check it out! Also, don't forget to read **Building a Bridge** first or you might be really confused.

~Kaliea


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